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FOLLOWING far-reaching socio-security consequences awaiting the continuing militarist shutdown of the Onitsha Drug Market, Ogbogwu Market, and six adjoining others by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, and its hired and drafted soldiers of the Nigerian Army and officers, joined by a handful of personnel of the Nigeria Police Force, NPF, and Department of the State Security Services, DSS, the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, Intersociety, Nigeria’s leading research and investigative advocacy voice with international respectability in democracy, good and accountable governance, human rights and rule of law, international religious freedom or belief, and citizens and public security and safety since 2010 has taken national campaign against the militarist closure and collective punishment operations by NAFDAC and its hired others to 15 key authorities and persons in Nigeria; calling for immediate re-opening of the affected markets.
The Intersociety’s advocacy letters further called for restoration of livelihoods of the affected innocent traders who constitute more than 95% of traders in the affected markets and thorough and conclusive investigations into alleged operational illegalities and corrupt practices by those operationally deployed.
The Intersociety had in her letters, dated February 24 and 25, 2025, identified 16 alleged operational illegalities and corrupt practices, demanding that they must thoroughly and conclusively be investigated for purposes of establishing their authenticity or otherwise and holding those involved (if) accountable and avoid future repetition of the ongoing blundered, procedurally erroneous, militarist and collective punishment operations.
We had as a follow-up to our detailed and widely published advocacy statement of Tuesday, February 18, 2025, presented letters of protest and concern to the following key authorities and persons: Gov Charles Soludo of Anambra State who had commendably visited the affected markets on Saturday, February 22, 2025, Anambra State House of Assembly Speaker, Somtochukwu Udeze, National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, Inspector General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Retired DIG Hashimu Argungu, Minister of Interior (Internal Affairs), Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyade and Director General of Department of the State Security Services, DG Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi.
Other recipients are: Minister of Health, Muhammad Ali Pate, Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, Senate Committee Chairman on Healthcare Services, Senator Ipaliba Harry-Banigo, House of Reps Committee Chairperson on NAFDAC, Regina Akume, Member, Representing Ogbaru Federal Constituency, Afam Victor Ogene, Member, Representing Onitsha North/Onitsha South Federal Constituency, Hon Obiajulu Idu Godwin Emeka and Sir Ifeanyi C. Ejiofor, Esq., a foremost human rights lawyer and Chief Counsel/Principal Partner of I.C. Ejiofor & Co., Abuja. The letters to Fifteen (15) key authorities and persons were successfully delivered to them by our lawyers and field activists between Monday, February 24 and Tuesday February 25, 2025, after which their acknowledgement copies were secured or obtained.
The recipients have been identified as key stakeholders with statutory and oversight responsibilities, powers and influences to end the continuing militarist shutdown of the affected Markets including that of Ariaria in Aba, Abia State following the ongoing militarist and collective punishment operations by NAFDAC and its hired allies.
Called For Concerted Efforts By Stakeholders To Re-Open The Sealed Markets
The Intersociety letters called for urgent intervention and well-coordinated joint efforts by key authorities and persons written to, for purpose of Immediate re-opening of the Onitsha Drug (Ogbogwu) Market and six adjoining others and restoration of livelihoods of the affected innocent traders and tens of thousands of their dependent-apprentices, wives, children and other relatives. The core stakeholders among those written to, were further urged to avoid policies and actions capable of breeding criminalities and criminals of tomorrow including kidnappers, armed robbers and internet fraudsters. They (NAFDAC, Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police Force, Police Service Commission, NSA, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Interior) were called upon to thoroughly and conclusively investigate the collective punishment operations as a whole and alleged operational illegalities and corrupt practices thereto; involving NAFDAC’s operational officials and hired officers and personnel of the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Police Force, with exception of DSS officers and operatives who are exempted until the contrary is established.
NAFDAC Must Account For Alleged 20 (40ft) Containers Of Confiscated Drugs
Strong demand was made for detailed and forensic account of estimated more than Twenty (20) 40-Feet Containers of confiscated drugs, composed of licensed local pharmaceutical companies’ produced drugs, NAFDAC-registered but confiscated and carted away drugs, multinational and globally approved but confiscated and carted away drugs; fake, counterfeited, adulterated, expired and substandard drugs; as well as confiscated and carted away illicit hard drugs (Tramadol 200mg, Tramadol 225mg, Codeine, Cocaine and allied others); all said to have valued at nothing less than N400billion; confiscated and carted away in the absence of most, if not all their owners and leaders of the Market including their central and line leaders who were also forced to surrender their market’s main entrance and line keys. The Intersociety is further aware of widespread concerns over zero accountability associated with ownership, quantity, quality, whereabouts and safe custody of the confiscated and carted away drugs (licit and illicit).
It was also strongly reported that there are little or zero verifiable records available to traders and their leaders regarding the shop locations of where such drugs were seized, confiscated and carted away. The purpose of such detailed and unbiased investigations under our strong demand is therefore to ensure probity and accountability particularly on the status of all drugs, both licit and illicit; seized, confiscated and carted away from Onitsha Drug Market and others. All the above must be followed up with an international press conference by NAFDAC and leaders of its hired and drafted soldiers and other security agencies to give graphic account of the ownership of such seized, confiscated and carted away drugs (licit and illicit), locations of their seizure and confiscation and amount they worth; quantity and amount of the multinational and globally approved drugs that were seized, confiscated and carted away and rationale behind their seizure and confiscation; quantity and amount of those registered by NAFDAC but confiscated and carted away, quantity and amount of those produced by Nigerian pharmaceutical companies but confiscated and carted away; quantity and amount of seized, confiscated and carted away fake, adulterated, counterfeit and expired drugs; quantity and amount of seized, confiscated and carted away others categorized as “contraband and illicit hard drugs” including Tramadol 225mg, Tramadol 200mg, Codeine, Cocaine and allied others.
Speak Up On Safety Of Alleged Hundreds Of Millions Left By Traders In Their Shops
NAFDAC must also publicly speak up and address serious concerns by some victim-traders over possible unaccountability of hundreds of millions of naira worth of cash sums left in their shops including those in the Point of Sale (POS) cash transactions, those preserving hard currencies in furtherance of their import and export businesses and those keeping tens of millions of naira in cash for new local purchases and payment for purchased goods; all caught unaware by abrupt shutdown and militarization of the Market and adjoining others since 9th Day of February 2025; a period of three weeks going to thirty days.
Bank Accounts Of Deployed NAFDAC And Security Operatives Must Be Monitored
To this end, heads of NAFDAC and its hired coercive establishments and their constitutional oversight bodies written to, were strongly called upon to identify all those involved in the ongoing NAFDAC’s militarist and collective punishment operations in Onitsha and elsewhere since Sunday, 9th day of February 2025 including the Agency’s field staffers and officials involved and drafted soldiers and their field and barracks commanders and drafted personnel of the Nigeria Police Force and their field and barracks commanders; other than deployed DSS officers and personnel who are exempted until contrary circumstantial indictment is established. The above operational officials, officers and personnel, when properly identified, must have their bank accounts and those of their spouses and grown-up children above 17 Years of Age placed under close digital monitoring for six months using their biometrics including NIN and BVN numbers; to digitally ascertain movement of money that comes in and goes out of their bank accounts. Such electronic monitoring is to further ascertain the actual role they played in the Onitsha Drug Market NAFDAC’s militarist and collective punishment operations and ensure that cash sums in their bank accounts tally with their legitimate earnings or remunerations as “Serving Civil/Public Servants”.
Where the contrary becomes the case or found to have circumstantially and corruptly linked to the NAFDAC’s militarist and collective punishment operations ongoing in Onitsha, Aba and Lagos, those found wanting must be tracked down, exposed, prosecuted and severely punished and such criminal monies in their bank accounts frozen and retrieved.
Efforts must further be made at ensuring that all the legitimately seized, confiscated and carted away prohibited drugs do not corruptly find their way back to fake, substandard, adulterated, counterfeit and expired drug kingpins and allied others.
Allow Importation Of Multinational Drugs And Liberalize Their Registration
We at the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) are strongly advising NAFDAC Director General, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye and her South-East Director, Martins Iluyomade, and their deployed field officials and operatives to carefully sort out all erroneously seized, confiscated and carted away drugs particularly those manufactured by local pharmaceutical companies and the
multinational and globally approved drugs and cause them to be returned to their owners without further delays and take further steps at addressing the Agency’s rigidities, difficulties and challenges faced by prospectus registrants seeking registration of such globally approved multinational drugs which reportedly takes not less than three years of endless stresses and waiting to be registered by NAFDAC with little or no success in the end.
Our Recorded Advocacy Impact:
Well Done Job By Media: The Intersociety notes with profound gratitude the positive role played so far by the media particularly the likes of the Saharareporters, the Vanguard, the Sun, the Guardian, the This Day, the Daily Independent, the Daily Post, the African Examiner, the New Nigerian, the News Express, the Razor, private and public FM Radio Stations, and innumerable others including traditional social and web media. The media outfits under reference are urged not to rest on their oars until the affected markets are re-opened and livelihoods and welfare of the affected innocent traders and tens of thousands of their dependents including dependent-apprentices, wives, children and other relatives restored.
Afam Ogene And House Of Reps’ Commendable Stand: The role of the House of House of Reps through Afam Victor Ogene, Member, Representing Ogbaru Federal Constituency is also deeply commendable. It is recalled that following our detailed and well published statement of Tuesday, February 18, 2025, a motion, sponsored by Afam Victor Ogene, was moved and adopted by the House of Reps on Wednesday February 19, 2025, calling on NAFDAC “to ensure that innocent traders in recently sealed drug markets are not unfairly affected”; stressing the need “to safeguard the livelihoods of legitimate traders or vendors”. Afam Ogene had in his motion expressed concern over “reports that NAFDAC sealed the affected markets and denied the traders entry, while its officials proceeded to break into shops, carting away pharmaceuticals, without owners of such shops being allowed to witness the operation and take inventory”.
Speaker Somtoo Udeze And Anambra House’s Commendable Stand: A similar resolution passed by Anambra State House of Assembly on Tuesday, February 2025, is also commendable. The State House of Assembly had passed a resolution, following the intersociety’s letter of Monday, February 24, 2025, directly sent to the Speaker of the House, Somtochukwu Udeze, PhD. The State House of Assembly commendably responded by sitting on Tuesday, February 25 during which it adopted a resolution calling on NAFDAC “to hasten the inspection and verification process at the Ogbogwu Drug Market, Onitsha”. The House further “…. expressed deep concern over prolong closure of the affected markets, which has affected genuine traders and adjoining markets, including those dealing on plumbing, tools, surgical, chemical and fashion products”. Hon Speaker Somtochukwu Udeze further “stressed the need to prevent fake drugs starting from border checkpoints” and “protect innocent traders whose businesses have been paralyzed for over 21 days” and insisted that “the victim-traders must be present during the search of their shops and warehouses,” the statement signed by Chinwe Umeche, for: International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law Intersociety said.
Tags: NAFDAC Prof Mojisola Adeyeye
