Hussaini Ibrahim 
KANO, Nigeria – Nigeria’s drug regulator, NAFDAC, destroys 618 tonnes of fake, expired and substandard products valued at ₦10.19 billion in Kano, signalling an intensified crackdown on illicit goods threatening public health.
The destruction took place on Thursday at the Kalibawa Destruction Site as part of the agency’s North-West zonal enforcement operations, targeting counterfeit medicines, foods, cosmetics, agrochemicals and medical devices.
“This is a clear warning that the era of impunity is ending,” says NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, represented by North-West Zonal Director Dadi Nantim Mullah. “Anyone endangering Nigerian lives will face the full force of the law.”
The seized products include counterfeit antibiotics, anti-malarials, anti-hypertensives, adulterated vegetable oil, unsafe sachet water, hazardous cosmetics and fake agrochemicals.
Adeyeye says Nigeria’s attainment of WHO Maturity Level 3 and admission into the International Council for Harmonisation strengthen regulatory credibility. “Our next target is Maturity Level 4,” she adds.
Mullah reveals that fake and unregistered products have dropped from 46 per cent to under six per cent nationwide, attributing the seizures to enhanced enforcement rather than increased circulation.
NAFDAC urges Nigerians to buy medicines only from licensed vendors and report suspicious products through official channels.
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Korede Abdullah 
Oluwafunbi Bello 
Edino Chubiyo Cornelius