NAFDAC destroys N59m worth of illicit drugs in Rivers

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has destroyed impounded expired drugs worth N59m in Rivers State.

The destruction of the drugs, which was carried out at the Igwuruta dumpsite along the Eneka-Igwuruta road, was attended by the NAFDAC Zonal Director, Pharm. Chukwuma Oligbu, along with members of the Nigerian Customs Service, the Nigerian Police, and the Nigerian Army, who provided adequate security throughout the exercise.

In his speech, the NAFDAC Zonal Director, Chukwuma Oligbu, explained how the expired drugs were shipped into the country from the United States through the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Area 1 Port in Port Harcourt before they were intercepted by eagle-eyed NAFDAC inspectors at the port in collaboration with Customs officials.

The drugs, valued at about N59m, were placed on hold until their subsequent destruction.

The impounded expired drugs included antidepressants, anti-ulcer medications, analgesics, hypertension drugs, and consumables.

“Today’s exercise is a clear demonstration of the Agency’s unwavering commitment, under the pragmatic leadership of the Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, to protecting the health and safety of Nigerians and ensuring that medicines available within our environment meet the required standards of quality, safety, and efficacy,” the Zonal Director said.

He assured the public that NAFDAC would sustain its surveillance operations to eradicate the entry of illicit drugs into Nigerian society.

“Let me assure Nigerians that NAFDAC will continue to place public health at the center of its regulatory responsibilities. We shall remain steadfast in our commitment to ensuring that only medicines that are safe, efficacious, and of assured quality are available to the Nigerian public,” the South-South Zonal Director stated.

The expired products, which were loaded in a 40-ft container, were evacuated and set ablaze by Mr. Oligbu.