The House of Representatives Committee on Food and Drugs Administration and Control has commenced an investigation into allegations of extortion by officials of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) during recent enforcement operations at the Onitsha Bridge Head drug market.
The probe follows claims made by social media influencer, Very Dark Man (VDM), which have since attracted wide public attention. The Acting Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Uchenna Harris Okonkwo, said the committee had received multiple petitions alleging financial exploitation of traders during regulatory raids on open drug markets in Lagos, Anambra, and Kano.
Okonkwo made these remarks during an interface with top NAFDAC officials, including Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Pharm. Shaba Mohammed, and Dr Lyon Obi Martins, Director for the South East, who represented the Director General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye.
The Committee has requested NAFDAC to provide a detailed breakdown of all fines collected from traders during the recent enforcement exercise. Okonkwo said, “While we appreciate NAFDAC’s mandate to rid the country of counterfeit drugs, we must address public concerns regarding allegations of excessive penalties and arbitrary enforcement.”
He cited specific claims of shops being forced to pay fines ranging from ₦500,000 to ₦700,000 per outlet, and in some cases, as high as ₦2 million as administrative charges, particularly for poor storage and the presence of unregistered products.
According to NAFDAC, the ₦700,000 figure represented ₦500,000 for poor storage practices and ₦200,000 for possessing unregistered drugs.
The committee also stressed the urgent need to prioritise the development of Coordinated Wholesale Centres (CWCs), urging that these modern drug distribution facilities be constructed in partnership with the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria and state governments. The CWCs, Okonkwo said, would provide regulated environments to curb the distribution of substandard drugs.
On the issue of suspected drug kingpins operating within these markets, Okonkwo urged NAFDAC to share intelligence with the committee and relevant security agencies, noting: “We must flush these individuals out of the system to achieve a sanitary and safe drug distribution landscape.”
In her written remarks, NAFDAC DG Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye defended the agency’s actions, describing the operation which began on 9 February 2025 as the largest of its kind since 2007. She stated it was launched in response to complaints from both domestic and international stakeholders, including alerts from the World Health Organization (WHO), about the volume of fake drugs traced to Nigerian markets.
Adeyeye explained that the enforcement exercise was conducted with full backing from the Office of the National Security Adviser and involved the deployment of 1,200 security personnel across key markets in Lagos, Onitsha, and Aba.
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“All shops were sealed initially whether or not counterfeit products were found to ensure thorough inspection. Only shops that met regulatory standards were reopened,” she said.
The NAFDAC boss noted that the agency had engaged with market leaders before the operation and that the affected markets are, by law, deemed illegal under the Counterfeit and Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods Act. She cited unsafe storage practices, including poor ventilation and inappropriate facilities, as serious public health risks.
“All counterfeit drugs recovered were destroyed publicly,” she added.
The committee pledged to continue its oversight functions and ensure that both regulatory enforcement and traders’ rights are fairly balanced in the collective interest of public health and safety.
