NAFDAC Destroys Smuggled, Fake Drugs Worth N11bn In Oyo
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, on Wednesday, destroyed smuggled, expired and fake drugs, valued at approximately N11 billion in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Speaking during the destruction of the products at Moniya dumpsite in the Akinyele Local Government Area of the state, the NAFDAC Director General, Mojisola Adeyeye, represented by the South-West Zonal Director of the agency, Roseline Ajayi, said the products were collected from five South-West states, excluding Lagos, as well as Kwara State due to its proximity.
Adeyeye said, “The destroyed items, collected from five states in the South-West Zone (excluding Lagos) and Kwara State in the North Central Zone due to its proximity, are expired products that were voluntarily forfeited by those in the drug distribution channel, unregistered and unwholesome products that were raided from different outlets and warehouses, fake and counterfeit as well as unregistered imported products smuggled into the country.
“The worth of what is being destroyed today (Wednesday) is estimated to ₦10, 991, 458, 374.60.”
Adeyeye reiterated the agency’s commitment to ensuring public health and safety through various strategies, including product registration, laboratory testing, inspections, and enforcement actions.
“This destruction exercise is a vital component of NAFDAC’s investigative and enforcement efforts to eliminate unwholesome, substandard, and counterfeit products from the market.
“The public destruction served multiple purposes, including sending a firm message that confiscated items would not be diverted for personal use. I want to assure citizens of NAFDAC’s commitment to removing harmful products from circulation,” she promised.
She extended the agency’s gratitude to the public and various agencies, including the Nigerian Customs Service, Nigerian Police and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps, for their support in the fight against counterfeit drugs and substandard products
Adeyeye, therefore, called on all Nigerians to join hands with NAFDAC in safeguarding the nation’s food and drug sector.
The NAFDAC boss also reiterated the agency’s mission to protect public health, adding that “together, we can keep Nigeria safe and free from unwholesome medicinal and regulated products.”
