• Uncovers diverted USAID, UNFPA antiretrovirals, condoms, repackaged for sale.
• NAFDAC DG under threat, reveals assassination attempts, kidnappings of staff
Tayo Busayo, Abuja
In a sweeping nationwide operation, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has seized 87 truckloads of banned, expired, and counterfeit drugs, including diverted antiretroviral medications donated by USAID and UNFPA, in a historic crackdown on Nigeria’s illicit drug trade.
The operation, which began on February 9, 2025, and involved over 1,100 security operatives, uncovered shocking violations of drug storage and distribution regulations, with life-saving HIV medications and condoms found expired, repackaged, and sold in open markets.
NAFDAC’s Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, revealed the findings during a press briefing at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday, February 26, 2025. She described the operation as the agency’s most significant in history, with the seized drugs valued at over N1 trillion. The raids targeted Nigeria’s three major open drug markets—Ariaria and Eziukwu in Aba, Bridge Head Market in Onitsha, and Idumota Drug Market in Lagos—uncovering warehouses filled with narcotics, counterfeit medicines, and improperly stored pharmaceuticals.
Among the seized items were large quantities of USAID and UNFPA-donated antiretroviral drugs and condoms, meant to support Nigeria’s HIV/AIDS response. These products, stored in harsh conditions such as toilets, rooftops, and under staircases, were found denatured and unfit for use. Prof. Adeyeye condemned the diversion of these donations, stating that such actions undermine global efforts to combat HIV/AIDS in Nigeria.
The operation also uncovered controlled substances, including Tramadol, Flunitrazepam (Rohypnol), and Tafradol, a drug recently banned in India after a BBC exposé revealed its illicit production and export to Africa. Adeyeye warned that the volume of narcotics seized was enough to destabilize the country’s security.
The crackdown has not come without risks. Prof. Adeyeye disclosed that counterfeiters have targeted her life and those of her staff, with assassination attempts, kidnappings, and constant police protection now part of their daily reality. She called for enhanced security measures and advocated for the death penalty for producers and sellers of counterfeit drugs, describing their actions as “murder.”
So far, 40 arrests have been made, with suspects facing prosecution. NAFDAC has also created a database of over 7,000 shops screened during the operation, with plans to relocate violative traders to designated Coordinated Wholesale Centres (CWCs) across the country’s six geopolitical zones.
As the operation continues in Onitsha, Prof. Adeyeye emphasized the need for sustained efforts to safeguard public health, urging Nigerians to support NAFDAC’s mission to eliminate counterfeit medicines and ensure regulatory compliance.
