By Chimaobi Nwaiwu
Nnewi, Anambra State — Bridge Head Medicine Market, popularly known as Ogbo-Ogwu Market in Onitsha, Anambra State, has handed over N265 million worth of fake, expired, and substandard drugs to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
The handover was carried out by the Chairman of Ogbo-Ogwu Market, Mr. Ndubisi Chukwuleta, who said the illicit drugs were seized by the market’s taskforce following NAFDAC raids earlier this year. Chukwuleta emphasized that the market taskforce conducts periodic searches to identify and remove counterfeit and unsafe drugs, and pledged that the monitoring will continue until all forms of illicit drug trade are eradicated from the market.
“We are here to hand over these seized products to NAFDAC. They include unwholesome, expired, banned, fake, and substandard products, worth approximately N265 million,” Chukwuleta said. “Some were seized last year, while others were confiscated after NAFDAC’s recent operations. We will not allow merchants of death masquerading as traders to sell products that harm Nigerians.”
He added that the market taskforce is strategically positioned to monitor counterfeit drug dealers and that efforts to curb illicit trade have faced resistance from some unscrupulous traders. “Despite intimidation and opposition, we will not relent in our fight against fake drugs,” he affirmed.
Receiving the products at NAFDAC’s Agulu office in Anaocha Local Government Area, Anambra State Coordinator, Pharm. Louis Maduabattah, commended the market leadership for their proactive role in combating fake and expired drugs.
Maduabattah revealed that over 400 cartons of pharmaceutical drugs, mostly expired and unregistered, were handed over and will be stored in NAFDAC’s warehouse pending destruction. He described the action as a standard practice expected from all markets dealing in pharmaceutical products.
“This is a commendable initiative,” Maduabattah said. “Expired products must be handed over to NAFDAC for proper disposal, and the market’s mechanism to remove unwholesome products is exemplary. It helps protect the public from harmful substances and reinforces compliance with regulations.”
The handover underscores ongoing collaboration between market authorities and regulatory agencies to safeguard public health and prevent the circulation of counterfeit and unsafe medicines in Nigeria.
The post Ogbo-Ogwu market hands over N265m worth of fake, expired drugs to NAFDAC appeared first on Vanguard News.
