NDLEA Hands Over 5580kg Expired Drugs To NAFDAC
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Plateau Command on Saturday handed over 5580 kg of expired drugs to NAFDAC.
The drugs were seized from a warehouse belonging to one Jude Okoye, in Jos.
Also found in the warehouse were medical devices and 2652 kg of psychotropic substances. Mr Ibrahim Braji, NDLEA Commander, while handing over the substances to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), described Okoye as “a notorious psychotropic drug dealer”.
Braji also said that the agency also seized syringes, intravenous injection liquids and newly printed labels with new dates of production and expiration.
The commander alleged that Okoye, popularly known as Zuma” owns a patent medicine store named “Zuma pharmacy “which he uses to disguise his nefarious act of peddling the controlled drugs.
“All the drugs in his possession are controlled drugs and he doesn’t have the qualification or license to sell, because he is a patent medicine dealer; it has to be dispensed by a pharmacist with prescription from a medical doctor,” he said.
He alleged that Okoye, had been convicted three times for the same offence. Braji appealed to the public to cooperate with the agency in its effort at ridding the state of “expired drug traffickers.
Mr Gabriel Phillip, NAFDAC Assistant Chief Regulatory Officer, who received the substances, alleged that Okoye was convicted in October 2015 for being in possession of unregistered and expired drugs during a routine NAFDAC surveillance.
Philip said that the expired drugs which were worth two million Naira, were confiscated from his shop and destroyed.
He disclosed that the said Okoye wrote a letter of undertaking to desist from the nefarious act after his conviction in 2015 and was sentenced to three years in prison with an option of N200,000 fine.
