By Charles Maduka
Traders at the Ogbo-Ogwu Drug Market in Onitsha, Anambra State, protested on Tuesday against the continued closure of their shops by the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration, and Control (NAFDAC).
The traders under the Concerned and Genuine Members of Ogbo-Ogwu Drug Market, expressed their frustration, saying that the closure had caused severe hardship and financial difficulties.
Many of them marched through the market, carrying placards with different inscriptions , demanding that their shops be reopened. Some traders claimed that at least five people had died, while others were hospitalized due to stress and hunger.
During the protest, the traders accused NAFDAC of demanding ₦2 million from each person before allowing them to reopen their shops. They argued that their shops remained locked despite NAFDAC’s claims that it had reopened them.
The National Convener and Secretary of the Concerned and Genuine Members of Ogbo-Ogwu Drug Market, Ifeanyi Chinedu, insisted that the agency’s actions were unfair. He alleged that NAFDAC had taken away over 60 trailer loads of genuine and registered medicines from their shops without their permission.
The traders maintained that the seized goods were legally registered, including products from multinational pharmaceutical companies in the USA, Germany, Turkey, and Pakistan. They dismissed NAFDAC’s claims that the medicines were fake and substandard, saying the accusations were meant to tarnish their reputation.
They called on the federal government to investigate the seizure and verify whether the claims made by NAFDAC’s leadership were true.
Many traders also criticized the caretaker committee overseeing the market, saying it had failed to represent their interests. They expressed disappointment in its leadership and called for a change.
Some traders also rejected the ₦2 million fine that NAFDAC allegedly imposed as a condition for reopening the shops, calling it an unfair and illegal demand. A trader, Uchechukwu Ola, lamented that they had been unable to earn a living for two months because of the market closure. He insisted that the seized drugs were genuine and that NAFDAC’s allegations were false.
In response, NAFDAC’s South-East Zonal Director, Martins Iluyomade, dismissed the traders’ claims, insisting that the agency had acted lawfully.
He explained that the enforcement exercise, which lasted from February 10 to March 5, 2025, was conducted according to the law governing the agency. He stated that all the confiscated drugs lacked NAFDAC approval and posed serious health risks. He also linked the sale of fake drugs to insecurity in the country, warning that the volume of illegal medicines found in the market was enough to destabilize the nation.
Despite NAFDAC’s defense, the traders continued to demand justice. They urged the government to intervene and ensure the immediate reopening of their shops. Many of them insisted that they were selling legal products and had been unfairly targeted by the agency.
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