Health

NAFDAC seals 3,000 shops in Lagos, seizes 12 truckloads of fake drugs

Fumilayo Adekunle
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has intensified its efforts to tackle the sale of illicit and counterfeit pharmaceuticals, sealing over 3,000 shops in the Idumota Open Drug Market in Lagos during the first week of its enforcement operations.

The agency shared the update in a statement on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday.

During the raid, NAFDAC officials uncovered alarming violations, including vaccines stored in dilapidated, poorly ventilated rooms sealed with iron sheets, creating significant health risks. The raid also uncovered large quantities of banned and hazardous drugs, such as Analgin injections, diverted HIV antiretroviral drugs, and expired medicines that were being prepared for illegal revalidation.

In the first week of the operation, more than 3,000 shops within the Idumota market were sealed. Vaccines were found stored under unsanitary conditions in rooms with inadequate ventilation, further compounding the health threat.

Alongside these, large consignments of banned drugs, including Analgin injections and diverted HIV antiretroviral drugs, were seized. Expired medicines intended for illegal revalidation, as well as unregistered pharmaceuticals, were also discovered. The agency removed illicit pharmaceuticals equivalent to 12 truckloads from the market.

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Additionally, NAFDAC found empty packs and cartons of expired, unregistered antimalarial injections in a packing shop, with the vials removed. In a separate warehouse, located away from the main pharmaceutical section, dangerous substances such as Ecstasy (MDMA or Molly), various brands of Codeine Cough Syrup, and Tramadol 225 were uncovered.

This operation is part of NAFDAC’s renewed commitment to sanitizing the country’s drug distribution system and combating the proliferation of counterfeit and dangerous medications.