Onitsha Drug Market raid: NAFDAC must account for hundreds of millions of currencies left in traders’ shops, CSO petitions DG, Soludo, IGP, DSS, Senate, ors

A civil society organisation (CSO), the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has asked the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to account for hundreds of millions of various currencies traders left in their shops prior to the raid by its operatives.

This was contained 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 over 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.

Affected innocent traders

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.

Stranded traders at the closed Onitsha Drug Market

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”.

The petition reads in part: “Intersociety… 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 to account for 20 (40ft) containers of confiscated drugs

Intersociety also insisted that NAFDAC must account for alleged 20 (40ft) containers of confiscated drugs alleged to be “fake, counterfeited, adulterated, expired and substandard drugs”.

The CSO stated further: “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:

• 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,
• 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 categorized as “contraband and illicit hard drugs” including Tramadol 225mg, Tramadol 200mg, Codeine, Cocaine and allied others.”

Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State during his visit to the Onitsha Drug Market shut down by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC)

Whereabouts of alleged hundreds of millions of currencies left in traders’ shops

Intersociety further asked NAFDAC to 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.

These include:

1. those in the Point of Sale (POS) cash transactions,
2. those preserving hard currencies in furtherance of their import and export businesses, and,
3. those keeping tens of millions of naira in cash for new local purchases and payment for purchased goods.

According to the group, the traders were caught unaware by abrupt shutdown and militarization of the market and adjoining others on February 9, 2025.

To this end, Intersociety strongly called upon heads of NAFDAC and its hired coercive establishments and their constitutional oversight bodies written to, to identify all those involved in the exercise, 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 organisation demanded that the 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.

This, it said, is 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 renumerations as “Serving Civil/Public Servants”,” Intersociety stated.

It demanded that anyone found to have circumstantially and corruptly linked to the NAFDAC’s militarist and collective punishment operations ongoing in Onitsha, Aba and Lagos 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,” it added.

‘Release all erroneously seized, confiscated and carted away drugs’

Intersociety also strongly advised NAFDAC Director General, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye and her South-East Director, Dr 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.

It demanded that they 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.

Intersociety, meanwhile commended the Speaker Rt. Hon. Somtochukwu Udeze-led Anambra State House of Assembly over its “commendable stand”.

It noted that the Assembly, on Tuesday, February 2025, passed similar resolution following the Intersociety’s letter dated February 24, 2025, which was directly sent to the Speaker.

The House responded by sitting on February 25 during which it adopted a resolution calling on NAFDAC “to hasten the inspection and verification process at the Ogbogwu Drug Market, Onitsha”.

It 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”.

It “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”.

Mission accomplished

Recipients of the letters of protest and concern include Gov Charles Soludo of Anambra State, Anambra State House of Assembly Speaker, Rt. Hon. Udeze, National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, Inspector General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Retired DIG Hashimu Argungu, Minister of Interior (Internal Affairs), Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Olufemi Oloyede and Director General of DSS, DG Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi.

Other recipients are Minister of Health, Dr 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, Hon Mrs. Regina Akume, Member, Representing Ogbaru Federal Constituency, Hon 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 were successfully delivered to them by Intersociety lawyers and field activists between Monday, February 24 and Tuesday February 25, 2025.

The petition was signed by Emeka Umeagbalasi, Chinwe Umeche, Evangeline Udegbunam and Joy Igboeli on behalf of Intersociety.

About Intersociety

The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) prides itself as 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.

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