The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has destroyed counterfeit, falsified, and expired medical products valued at more than N15 billion at the Moniya dumpsite in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The destruction exercise, carried out on Wednesday, was led by the agency’s Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, who was represented by Dr. Martins Iluyomade, NAFDAC’s Director of Investigation and Enforcement.
Adeyeye explained that the action was taken to prevent dangerous medicines and unwholesome products from re-entering the Nigerian market, where they could endanger public health. The destroyed items included counterfeit, unregistered, and banned medicines such as Analgin, Co-codamol, codeine-containing syrups, Tramadol, Oxytocin, and expired vaccines.
Street value and seizures
According to NAFDAC, the destroyed products were worth over N15 billion on the street market. Among them was a recent seizure of a container falsely declared as diclofenac but packed with over 100,000 smuggled anti-malaria tablets. The suspect involved has been arrested and is set for prosecution.
In another enforcement action, the agency raided a military barracks in Lagos where it discovered illegally manufactured cosmetics and packaging materials. These, along with other products seized from nationwide raids on black-market drug sellers, were also destroyed in Ibadan.
Collaboration and community vigilance
Adeyeye praised the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) for handing over more than 25 seized 40-foot containers of prohibited drugs and substances, including Tramadol, Artesunate injections, and frozen poultry. She called the joint effort a “victory in the battle against violative and harmful substances.”
She further appealed to community leaders, health professionals, religious figures, and journalists to help sensitise Nigerians on the dangers of patronising unlicensed drug sellers. Citizens were urged to report suspicious pharmaceutical activities to safeguard public health and strengthen regulatory oversight.
Recent crackdown on pharmaceuticals
The destruction exercise comes days after NAFDAC banned 101 pharmaceutical products from manufacture, importation, and distribution in Nigeria. The banned list includes widely used medicines such as Amaryl, Amlodipine, Artemether/Lumefantrine, ASAQ, Januvia, and Janumet, many of which are produced by global pharmaceutical firms including Sanofi, Novartis, and Bayer.
As part of the crackdown, medicine dealers in hubs like Idumota (Lagos), Onitsha (Anambra), and Aba (Abia) have been given a two-week ultimatum to register with NAFDAC’s database or face sanctions. Iluyomade warned that violators who tamper with NAFDAC seals or attempt to reopen sealed shops would face prosecution.
The agency emphasised that these measures are aimed at sanitising Nigeria’s drug markets and ensuring the safety and traceability of medicines nationwide.
