Anambra drug market closure: We are here for outer security operations – Army

The Nigeria Army personnel at the Onitsha drug market, Anambra State, has said that they were only providing outer security for free flow of movements.

A senior military officer, who spoke to BusinessDay on Thursday under condition of anonymity, said that the ongoing mopping up of fake drug in the drug market is purely by the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and Department of State Services (DSS).

“We are only providing outer security to enable the two bodies perform and execute their operations without fear.

“Ours is to provide outer security, we don’t follow NAFDAC, DSS and the police to go from shop-to-shop exercise,” he said.

He described as mischievous the viral social media reports that the soldiers from the Onitsha 302 Artillery Regiment (General Support) have taken over the markets within and locked down every shop under the guise of clamping down on drug dealers.

Read also: NAFDAC raids Onitsha drug market, seizes fake, expired drugs

“You can see for yourself that there is free movement and people passing through here unmolested, the Plumbing Materials market traders and other business activities are ongoing, traders loading and off-loading their goods.

“The military has nothing to do with the inner operations, and we have spent some days and nights guiding the place,” he said.

The affected markets said to have been taken over by the military personnel are Onitsha Drug market, Oduwani (Power Tools and Allied) market, surgical line market, plumbing materials market, the Ogbogwu Fashion Line market, the Bridgehead Provision market and part of the Timber Dealers market.

A trader in the plumbing section of the area, who also did not want his name mentioned said the military personnel have been civil in their operation to secure the market.

He appealed to Governor Chukwuma Soludo to wade into the matter and facilitate speedy reopening of the Onitsha Drug Market and five adjoining others, urging NAFDAC to go after fake and illicit drug kingpins responsible and leave innocent others alone who constitute over 95percent of the entire market traders.

“Breaking stores belonging to traders in their absence and confiscating their goods, whether done in the hours of the blue law or in broad day light, is a serious misconduct and an unlawful act capable of attracting a flurry of lawsuits against the NAFDAC and its hired officers,” he added.