By Hassanat Adebowale
The Abia State Government has announced plans to amend its laws on expired drugs, aiming to impose stricter penalties and imprisonment for traders selling fake, expired, and unregistered medicines and other products.
Governor Alex Otti made this known on Thursday in Aba during a meeting with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and representatives from Ariaria, Eziukwu, and Tenant Road markets. The meeting was also attended by the Chairman of Aba South Local Government Council, Mr. Anyanwu Obialor, and the Director of the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria (PCN) in Abia, Mrs. Ngozi Nzenwata.
Represented by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Ukoha Njoku, Governor Otti warned traders against being complicit in the activities of expired medicine dealers and counterfeiters, stating that they would face harsher punishments if caught.
“As we pursue these individuals who poison our people with expired medicines from the markets, they will likely move into the suburbs of Aba to continue their wicked acts. To save yourselves, when you see something, say something, or these people, when found, will cause you to have your houses sealed while you go elsewhere to live for months awaiting the conclusion of investigations,” Otti said.
Earlier, NAFDAC Zonal Director, Mr. Martins Iluyomade, announced the reopening of shops that were not found culpable in the sales of illegal or counterfeit products. However, he noted that some shops would remain sealed until their owners were located.
“This is to inform traders who are not medicine dealers or counterfeiters, but had their shops sealed, of the decision to reopen their shops shut in the past three weeks or more. There are conditions, however, which must be met by the traders whose shops were sealed before they can be reopened,” Iluyomade explained.
Iluyomade expressed regret that the training and free NAFDAC registration offered to counterfeiters at the Eziukwu market to transform their activities into legal ones were not accepted by the traders.
Mrs. Ngozi Nzenwata, Director of PCN in Abia, emphasized the need for the state government to assist medicine dealers in establishing a Medicine Mart or a Wholesale Coordinating Centre (CWC) to ensure proper regulation of medicine sales in the state.
Similarly, Aba South LGA Chairman, Mr. Anyanwu Obialor, condemned those selling consumables that could cause death and promised to collaborate with the Abia Government and NAFDAC to severely punish any trader found culpable. He disclosed that the council would revoke any shop found counterfeiting or selling expired products in the markets.
Market union leaders, including Mr. Mike Okoro and Moses Ibe for Eziukwu market, James Nwogu for Ekumi/Ariaria market, and Chimezie Ugwu for Tenant Road markets, thanked NAFDAC and Governor Otti for reopening some of the previously sealed shops. They pledged to help stop the counterfeiting and sales of illegal products while calling for consideration for the remaining shops not yet reopened.
Selling counterfeit and expired drugs is a serious crime under Nigerian law, specifically under the Counterfeit and Fake Drugs Act, 2004, and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control Act, Cap N1 LFN 2004.
The proposed legal changes in Abia State aim to strengthen these existing federal laws by imposing stricter penalties and deterring the distribution of dangerous pharmaceutical products. By making these changes, the state is aligning with national and international health regulations, reinforcing the government’s responsibility to protect public health from fraudulent and harmful drug sales.
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