The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has issued a stern warning against obstructing its personnel during enforcement operations targeting substandard drugs and falsified goods.
In an interview with Pathway News on Wednesday in Abuja, Mr. Shaba Mohammed, Director of Investigation and Enforcement at NAFDAC, emphasized this point. Mohammed, who also chairs the Federal Task Force on Fake and Counterfeit Products, revealed that some drug hawkers and touts who attacked the agency’s enforcement team in February have been arraigned in court.
He noted that the individuals involved in the attack are currently facing trial before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja. The arraignment aims to deter others with similar intentions.
“Those arraigned recently in court are part of those who attacked NAFDAC officials while on enforcement duty some months ago. Arraigning them in court is to make them pay for their actions and to advise the public to desist from attacking NAFDAC staff while on duty,” he said.
Mohammed acknowledged the presence of counterfeit products in circulation, attributing their entry into the country to unscrupulous individuals. He explained that these criminals use hawkers to distribute counterfeit drugs, and NAFDAC will continue to arrest hawkers until the system is fully sanitized.
He emphasized that arresting hawkers helps NAFDAC track the sources of counterfeit products, whether they are imported or produced locally.
“The public should support NAFDAC in sanitizing the system. Anyone caught in such acts will be thoroughly prosecuted because obstructing a Federal Government team from performing its duties is a serious offense,” he stated.
He reiterated that the sale of drugs in marketplaces, through hawking, or in moving vehicles is prohibited by NAFDAC law and is considered a criminal act. This is why the agency is prosecuting those who violate NAFDAC regulations.
As the Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Mohammed pledged to work closely with the Federal Task Force, which includes other related agencies, to eliminate counterfeit drugs and goods from the country.
He listed some organizations in the soon-to-be-inaugurated team, including the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria, the Nigeria Customs Service, and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Council (FCCPC).
One of the task force’s strategies to curb the influx of fake drugs is to monitor entry points into the country to intercept counterfeit products. “We will also be using Post Marketing Surveillance, whose officials would function like undercover agents,” he added.
