Closure of Onitsha drug market: You’re guilty of “operational illegalities”, Intersociety blasts NAFDAC

A civil society organisation (CSO), the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has lambasted the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) over what it described as “operational illegalities”.

Intersociety made the remarks in a recent statement following the continued closure of Onitsha drug market, saying that NAFDAC still goes to equity with unclean hands.

The statement was signed by Intersociety Board Chair, Mr. Emeka Umeagbalasi, as well as three others, Chinwe Umeche, Chidinma Evangeline Udegbunam and Obianuju Joy Igboeli.

The CSO condemned the “ongoing militarist and collective punishment operations in the Onitsha Drug Market”.

It noted that the market was shut and kept under lock and keys since Sunday, February 9, 2025; a period of 30 days going into 60 days.

NAFDAC has, in a statement issued and widely circulated in the media, stated that “the Onitsha Drug Market has been unsealed and re-opened for business, with effect from Friday, March 7, 2025”.

Following an on-site inspection of the premises, Intersociety lamented that “the drug market has remained sealed and under lock and keys till date”.

The group added: “Our checks as of Saturday, Mach 8, 2025 showed that the six affected adjoining markets were conditionally re-opened on Friday, March 7, 2025, as against Onitsha Drug Market which remains under lock and keys and situation of militarization with over a dozen armed soldiers of the Nigerian Army and their patrol vans and armored personnel vehicle as of this day of Sunday, March 9, 2025.

Intersociety further condemned NAFDAC for ‘deliberately misinforming and misleading members of the Nigerian public and generality of the world to the effect that “the Onitsha Drug Market has been unsealed and re-opened for business, with effect from Friday, March 7, 2025”.

Mr. Umeagbalasi stated: “The above false claims not only add to the long list of NAFDAC’s operational illegalities in the Onitsha Drug Market and six recently re-opened adjoining others but also expose the Agency as “having failed woefully to go to equity with clean hands”.

“Also strongly resisted by the Intersociety are attempts by the Agency to criminalize the Onitsha Drug Market, its members and leadership by publicly portraying it as “a den of fake and illicit drug dealers, assassins and vendors of illicit small arms and light weapons and their ammunitions”.

Respecting NAFDAC’s “recent false alarms”, He said further: “Our investigative findings strongly suggest that two false alarms raised recently by NAFDAC are deliberately designed for purposes of quipping up public sentiments and justification of the Agency’s operational illegalities in its ongoing militarist and collective punishment operations in the Onitsha Drug Market.

“It is recalled that NAFADC’s South-East Director, Dr Martin Iluyomade had on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, issued a widely circulated statement, claiming to have “narrowly escaped hoodlums’ attack at Onitsha Drug Market and was rescued by security operatives from the hands of the hoodlums that invaded the Market unnoticed to stop the NAFDAC enforcement team from continuing the ongoing search for fake and expired drugs in the Market”.

“As if that was not enough, on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, the Agency issued another widely circulated statement, claiming that “the Agency and its security team recovered two riffles, live cartridges and a machete and other weapons hidden by unknown individuals in the Onitsha Drug Market”.

“The DG of NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye swiftly linked the discovery, without proper criminal investigations by competent security agencies, to “an assassination attempt on NAFDAC’s South-East Director, Dr Martins Ilumoyade”.

“Investigative findings by the Intersociety, however, showed that the two claims were untrue.

“Apart from the fact that no weapons or riffles were discovered anywhere in the Onitsha Drug Market; some “unprohibited firearms” stumbled into by security personnel including operatives of DSS were those stumbled into at the security office of one of the affected six adjoining markets (Onitsha Plumbing Market), belonging to the Market’s local vigilantes.

“The “unprohibited firearms” stumbled into (. i.e. Single/Double Barreled/Pump Action Guns and their Ammunitions) are also those statutorily allowed under the Firearms Act of 2004,” Umeagbalasi noted.

It could be recalled that Diaspora Digital Media (DDM) reported on March 1, 2025, that Intersociety asked NAFDAC to account for hundreds of millions of various currencies belonging to traders looted by NAFDAC operatives prior to the raid.

In a petition addressed to NAFDAC Director General, Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State, the State House of Assembly Speaker, the Minister of Health and a host of other individuals and agencies, Intersociety asked NAFDAC to publicly speak up and address serious concerns by some victim-traders.

The issued involved possible unaccountability of hundreds of millions of naira worth of cash sums left in their shops.

The CSO further demanded that the sealed Onitsha Drug Market be re-opened to public use immediately.

Intersociety made the call considering what it referred to as “far-reaching socio-security consequences awaiting the continuing militarist shutdown of the Onitsha Drug Market”, popularly known as Ogbogwu Market, and six adjoining others.

The group took the national campaign to fifteen key authorities and persons in Nigeria, calling for immediate re-opening of the affected markets.

Other markets affected by “the ongoing militarist and collective punishment operations by NAFDAC and its hired allies” include Ariaria in Aba, Abia State.

Intersociety’s further called for restoration of livelihoods of the affected innocent traders who constitute more than 95% of traders in the affected markets.

It also demanded a thorough and conclusive investigations into alleged operational illegalities and corrupt practices by those operationally deployed.

The group had, in her letters dated February 24 and 25, 2025, identified sixteen alleged operational illegalities and corrupt practices.

It demands that they must thoroughly and conclusively be investigated for purposes of establishing their authenticity or otherwise and holding those involved accountable.

It urged authorities to “avoid future repetition of the ongoing blundered, procedurally erroneous, militarist and collective punishment operations”.

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