There are several merchants of death prowling the nooks and crannies of Nigeria. They range from bandits, kidnappers, ritual murderers, and manufacturers of fake and substandard products. All of them deserve severe punishment including life imprisonment at the correctional centres. I shudder reading the press statement by the Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Prof. Moji Adeyeye, on the recent efforts of her agency to rid Nigeria of fake, expired and substandard drugs.
NAFDAC said it evacuated over 100 truckloads of substandard, falsified, and banned medicines and narcotics from the Idumota Market in Lagos State, Onitsha Market in Anambra State, and Aba Market in Abia State, in six weeks. The NAFDAC director general said if the substandard and banned medicines were allowed in circulation, they could ruin the nation by reducing the quality of life of millions of Nigerians. Adeyeye made the remarks in Lagos on Friday, March 14, 2025, at a briefing while giving an update on the unprecedented enforcement exercise carried out in the three markets, where unregistered, banned, expired or medicines with other violations worth over a trillion naira were confiscated.
She further disclosed that the agency concluded the enforcement exercise in Idumota and Aba on February 28, 2025, while the exercise still lingered in Onitsha until March 8. She was quoted as saying, “What we have found could ruin a nation. What we have found could destabilise a government. What we have found could reduce the quality of life of millions of Nigerians. If you have diabetes, or hypertension, which need daily treatment, such people could die easily with what we have found.” The NAFDAC boss stated that with a large population of Nigerian youth below 40, the narcotics seized could take their lives, and fuel banditry, and terrorism.
She said over 100 40-footer truckloads were evacuated with 27 truckloads from Idumota, already destroyed while in Aba and Onitsha markets about 80 40-foot truckloads of unregistered, banned medicines and narcotics were seized and evacuated. For Aba and environ, she disclosed that 14 truckloads of violative medicines were evacuated from the Osisioma warehouse alone, four truckloads from the Ariara Road warehouse and 10 truckloads of the medicines were seized from the markets.
According to her, in Onitsha, there are 110 lines where they sell drugs, aside from the plumbing market, and the wood plank markets. From the plumbing section, Prof. Adeyeye explained that warehouses were filled to the brim, without windows, with temperatures more than 40 degrees Celsius, subjecting the medicines to degradation before the user starts to use them. She said the agency evacuated 10 40-foot truckloads of tramadol from the plumbing, wood plank and the fashion lines of the market, also noting with dismay that about four truckloads of syrup with codeine that was banned almost seven years ago were also evacuated.
In last Saturday, March 15, 2025, edition of this newspaper, the President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Tanko Ayuba, in an interview with The TheNigerian correspondent Ajibade Omape gave insights into the menace of counterfeit and substandard drugs. According to him, the World Health Organisation reports that substandard antibiotics have contributed to over 169,000 deaths from childhood pneumonia globally. Furthermore, a 2018 study published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene estimated that 64,000–158,000 deaths from malaria in Sub-Saharan Africa were linked to counterfeit or substandard anti-malarial drugs.
The PSN president further said that a study in The Lancet found that 1.27 million deaths worldwide in 2019 were directly caused by antimicrobial resistance, with many cases linked to counterfeit antibiotics. In Nigeria, malaria resistance to first-line treatments like artemisinin combination therapy is growing due to counterfeit anti-malarial drugs. Similarly, multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis is rising because of the proliferation of fake TB medications. If left unchecked, this trend could make common infections untreatable.
Ayuba traced some of the causative factors to include the following: weak enforcement, corruption, and the high demand for affordable medications. Many Nigerians, due to poverty, opt for cheaper drugs without verifying their authenticity. A 2017 study by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime reported that West Africa accounted for 40 per cent of the world’s trade in falsified medicines. Nigeria’s porous borders allow counterfeit drugs to enter from China, India, and neighbouring countries. Furthermore, limited funding for regulatory agencies like NAFDAC and the Pharmacists Society of Nigeria makes it difficult to combat the sale of fake drugs.
The PSN president said under Nigeria’s Counterfeit and Fake Drugs (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, offenders can face a fine of N500,000, or five years imprisonment. That is a mere slap on the wrist! By comparison, China imposes the death penalty for drug counterfeiting, while the US enforces life imprisonment for offenders under the FDA’s Drug Supply Chain Security Act. PSN advocates for harsher penalties, including a minimum of 20 years imprisonment and asset forfeiture for large-scale counterfeiters.
Kudos to NAFDAC on the unprecedented seizures! However, I am concerned that there was no mention of arrests of the merchants of death who engaged in these illicit activities that are inimical to human health. Is it that NAFDAC is contented with seizure of the illicit drugs while the perpetrators are allowed to go back to illicit trade? That is tantamount to mopping a leaking roof. Unless and until the perpetrators are arrested, investigated and jailed for life, they will not desist. Imagine the entire country being exposed to public health challenges because of the inhumane activities of hundreds of greedy businessmen and women who care less about the welfare and well-being of their fellow human beings.
It is heartrending that the WHO Global Surveillance Report on Substandard Medicines identified Nigeria as a major transit point for counterfeit drugs. I fully endorse the position of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria on the need for severe penalties, including asset forfeiture. Not only that, PSN’s recommendation of pharmacovigilance and pharmaceutical manufacturers investing in tamper-proof packaging, holograms, and blockchain tracking are also well thought out. Wholesalers must ensure that their supply chains are monitored through regulatory-approved distribution networks to prevent flaws and breaks in their supply chains.
The PSN president’s suggestion to the Nigerian public is very instructive. When asked about how consumers can identify counterfeit drugs, he said, “For the public, I would advise that when purchasing drugs or medication, they should buy only from registered pharmacies. This will drastically reduce the consumption of counterfeit pharmaceutical products. Secondly, the public should be wary and always check for NAFDAC registration numbers on the packaging of drugs to ensure that they are not counterfeit or unregistered. There is also an avenue to use SMS authentication codes (MAS—Mobile Authentication Service) to verify the authenticity of the drugs after purchase to avoid using counterfeit drugs to treat illnesses. According to a 2021 WHO report, MAS has reduced counterfeit malaria drug sales by 30 per cent in Nigeria since its implementation.”
The National Assembly needs to amend our laws to tighten the nuts and bolts by prescribing stricter punishments for the merchants of deaths who engage in the sale of counterfeit and substandard drugs, beverages, water, wines and spirits. Media and civil society need to intensify public enlightenment by collaborating with the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria. PSN should intensify routine raids of drugstores and pharmacies for counterfeits, expired and substandard drugs and drinks. Better funding of NAFDAC is a must. A stitch in time saves nine!
