The National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), on Thursday, March 6, 2025, announced the reopening of the Onitsha Drug Market and other nearby markets, which had been shut down a month earlier. The announcement was made by the Agency’s South East Zonal Director, Mr. Martins Iluyomade, following a meeting with officials from the Anambra State Government and market union leaders. Official business is scheduled to resume in the markets on Friday, March 7, 2025.
Iluyomade clarified that the closure affected not only the Ogbogwu (drug) market but other surrounding markets as well, in a bid to combat the sale of counterfeit drugs. NAFDAC had previously carried out an operation in the market, but faced opposition, with one officer being “stripped naked” in the process. He stressed that the market needed to be shut down to avoid contaminating drug supplies across the country.
He also commended Governor Soludo for his backing, emphasizing that despite attempts to introduce “ethnic coloration” into the matter, the governor had supported NAFDAC’s efforts. Iluyomade spoke about NAFDAC’s large-scale operation, which led to the seizure of “over 50 trailers of fake and substandard drugs,” some of which were linked to narcotics capable of destabilizing the nation.
Iluyomade warned that any future assaults on NAFDAC officials would lead to the “closure of the market” indefinitely. Although the market is reopening, approximately 4,000 shops will remain locked until their owners clarify the presence of illegal drugs within them.
Leaders of the market unions voiced their commitment to working with NAFDAC to identify illegal drug dealers. State officials expressed their full support for NAFDAC’s efforts to eliminate counterfeit drugs from the market.
