The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control has incinerated fake pharmaceuticals valued at N2 billion in Kaduna State, vowing zero tolerance for traffickers endangering public health.
During the destruction exercise at a dump site in Kaduna on Thursday, Martins Iluyomade, Director of Investigation and Enforcement at NAFDAC and Chairman of the Federal Task Force on counterfeit drugs and unwholesome processed foods, said the move was designed to prevent seized products from re-entering the supply chain.
“We are here to destroy counterfeit medicines that some people brought into this country by faking other people’s products. The current management of NAFDAC will not take that lightly,” Iluyomade said.
He added that the agency maintains zero tolerance for counterfeiting, warning that those involved in the illicit trade now face difficult times.
The destruction exercise was carried out in collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Nigeria Customs Service.
“It is a joint effort. We discovered that some people are bringing in these products through unauthorised routes and using different means to clear them, including false declarations to Customs. Intelligence was shared, and we intercepted the products arriving via Kano Airport,” Iluyomade said.
Over the past two months, he said, authorities seized 503 cartons of Pregabalin capsules IP 3000mg—amounting to 11 million doses.
“We are destroying these drugs to demonstrate accountability and to show that no one is playing games with the health of Nigerians,” he said.
Iluyomade also cautioned citizens against manufacturers who clone already registered drugs by taking genuine products to other countries for reproduction.
In a related remark, Dadi Mullah-Natim, Director of the North-West Zone, said the zone routinely inspects approved manufacturing facilities to ensure compliance with good manufacturing practices.
“We routinely check their facilities, processes, stock, distribution networks, and stores during post-marketing surveillance to ensure that products leaving the factory remain in the same condition in warehouses where they are distributed. We checkmate every product produced by NAFDAC-approved facilities in Nigeria,” he said.
He urged the public to avoid purchasing products without receipts. “Receipts must be documented in a way that allows us to trace the product’s origin,” he added.