National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control, NAFDAC, yesterday destroyed expired, substandard and falsified medical products worth over 2.8 billion. Speaking during the exercise, NAFDAC Director General, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye said that the products been destroyed were seized by the Agency from manufacturers, importers, distributors and expired products voluntarily handed over to the Agency by compliant companies, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Trade Unions. “The estimated street value of the products scheduled for destruction today is N2, 675,896,538.20). While the street value of the banned Tramadol is N283,500,000.00.

 

She explained that the Agency has prosecuted some importers who did not mean well for the country. “In the first quarter of 2019, Mr. Luke Mbah, has been arraigned at the Federal High Court, Lagos for smuggling banned and fake 488 cartons of Barcadin with Codeine (cough syrup), Fake 207 cartons of Afrodiac Diclofenac Potassium tablets among others. “One Mr. Madubuike Chukwunonye who allegedly sold Cough Syrup with Codeine to a BBC undercover agent in April, 2018 was arraigned at the Federal High Court, Lagos. Another Mr. Ebenezer Arimiwem, was convicted of the manufacture, distribution, packaging, labelling and processing of different brands of Counterfeit Cosmetic Products and was sentenced to fifteen months in prison without an option of fine. 

“In 2016, Alh. Yakubu Kabiru smuggled a 40ft container laden with 1,800 bags of Green Arrow Fibre Mosquito coill N72, 000,000 into the country through the Seme Border. He was convicted by the Federal High Court, Lagos, and a fine of N1, 050,000 imposed on him. Mojisola however thanked the judiciary for their continued support and also appeal to them to take sterner view of counterfeiting and apply stiffer sanctions to deter counterfeiters, because of the danger they posed. “We are also pleadOMG to the National Assembly to pass the Counterfeit Medical Products Bill that will strengthen the Agency’s fight against counterfeiting in Nigeria.”