NAFDAC uncovers codeine syrups, diverted HIV drugs in fake drugs raid

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has uncovered a disturbing trend of free codeine syrups and HIV drugs being diverted from their intended recipients in a recent crackdown on the distribution of fake drugs.

This follows the agency’s sealing of over 3,000 Idumota shops over the circulation of fake drugs. In a release on Monday, it said two more massive warehouses full of fake and expired medicines were uncovered over the weekend in Aba, with truckloads in Idumota and Onitsha.

Items discovered were vaccines in dilapidated, unventilated rooms sealed with iron sheets in a filthy environment. Others were banned products like large consignment of Analgin injections, diverted free HIV and antiretroviral drugs, expired drugs kept for revalidation, and unregistered drugs among others.

The agency was able to evacuate illicit pharmaceuticals of the equivalent of 12 trucks. Furthermore, empty packs of cartons of expired unregistered antimalarial injections were discovered inside a packing shop with the vials removed.

Various brands of Codeine Cough Syrup and Tramadol 225 were discovered in a warehouse within the market, away from the pharmaceutical section where other products are sold. Last week, the Agency uncovered a major operation depot dealing in expired and falsified drugs at Umumeje village, Osisioma Ngwa area of Abia State where the illegal operation was being run from multiple buildings near the Ariaria International Market.

The expired medicines were repackaged and revalidated for resale, posing a significant health risk to consumers.

Seized items included expired potassium chloride, allergy medications, immune boosters, and cholesterol treatments. Machines used to rebrand and alter expiry dates were also discovered on-site.

The depot was discovered when NAFDAC operatives raided the facility in collaboration with a joint security team as part of the Agency’s intensified crackdown on counterfeit medicines which commenced on Monday.

During the raid, some individuals were arrested, but the prime suspect remains at large. Despite efforts to reach him, he showed no concern for his detained family members.

Later in the week, the NAFDAC enforcement officers and security forces from NSA uncovered another drugs depot at 269 Faulks Road, Aba. During the raids, NAFDAC operatives discovered machines used to rebrand and alter the expiry dates of medications, along with a large quantity of repackaged containers and fraudulent packaging materials.

This operation follows extensive data collection and intelligence gathering, which revealed large-scale repackaging of counterfeit drugs in the market,

At Onitsha, the Agency uncovered and seized fake, expired, and falsified drugs (14 trucks loaded) at the Ogbo-Ogwu Bridge Head Market in Onitsha, Anambra State.

The operation, which commenced on Monday, February 10, 2025, has led to many shop raids, revealing a disturbing volume of adulterated and substandard medications worth billions of naira.

NAFDAC’s investigation highlighted the market as a hub for repackaging and revalidating expired medicines, which are often sold to unsuspecting consumers with fraudulent claims of authenticity.

Martins Iluyomade, director of NAFDAC’s Southeast Zone, said that several containers bearing fake NAFDAC approvals were among the seized drugs.

So far, we have confiscated no fewer than 14 trucks, each carrying a 40-foot container filled with fake, substandard, and adulterated drugs from the market. Some of these drugs even bear fraudulent NAFDAC approval claims.

“We detected these fraudulent claims using our scanning and detection machines.’ The seized drugs include expired, banned, substandard, defective, repackaged, and recalled products,” he said.

The continued enforcement operation in Lagos targeted major distributors suspected of supplying counterfeit drugs to pharmacies and hospitals across the state.

Mojisola Adeyeye, director-general of NAFDAC however, insisted that the agency would not rest on its oars until the market is completely sanitised. She said the agency shall not look away while a few disgruntled elements in society continue to kill unsuspecting consumers through substandard and falsified medicines.

The NAFDAC boss further explained that the extended enforcement operation targets the three major markets simultaneously in Idumota, Onitsha, and Aba, which distribute a significant percent of medicines in the country. ‘The goal is to stop the sale of counterfeit, substandard, expired, and rebranded drugs that pose significant health risks to Nigerians with a continued goal to safeguarding the health of Nigerians.