The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control, (NAFDAC), on Friday, destroyed fake, counterfeit, substandard, expired and unwholesome regulated products, worth N4,282,302,738, in Awka, the Anambra capital.

Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, Director General (DG), NAFDAC, in her message, said the combined South-East and South-South zonal destruction exercise was made up of spurious, counterfeited, substandard and falsified medicinal products.

Mrs Adeyeye said others were unwholesome processed food products, counterfeited and unregistered cosmetics and several other counterfeited unsafe NAFDAC-regulated products.

Mr Francis Ononiwu, Director of Investigation and Enforcement, who represented the NAFDAC DG, said the products were seized from various suspects, including manufacturers, importers and distributors in the two zones.

The DG commended companies, market groups and Non-Governmental Organisations that complied with regulatory standards and voluntarily handed over banned narcotics, counterfeit and fake products to the agency in the interest of public health.

She said the public destruction of the products would eliminate the risk of their re-introduction into the Nigerian Market, proof of NAFDAC’s resolve to safeguard the health of the country and ensure that only genuine medicines and wholesome foods were sold in Nigeria.

“The estimated street value of the products destroyed today is worth N4,282.302,738.

“The products include antibiotics, antihypertensive antidiabetic. antiasthmatic. aphrodisiacs, antimalarial, anti-inflammatory, herbal remedies and psychoactive drugs.

“Banned drugs such as Analgin, Tramadol (above 100mg), gentamicin 280mg and vaccines (improperly stored outside the cold chain).

“Others are alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, cosmetics such as creams, soaps, antiseptics, fake insecticides and wholesome foods,” she said.

The DG said the agency had successfully secured some convictions of suspects as well as obtained a court order for forfeiture and destruction of products whose owners were not found since March 2021.

According to her, on Jan. 26, 2022, one Friday Ogbodo at Onitsha, Anambra, was charged for production and repackaging of antimalarial (Fansidar) drug at the Federal High Court, Awka.

“The Court sentenced the convict to five years Imprisonment.

“On March 15, 2022, the Federal High Court, Awka, sentenced Mr Chigozie Odii a resident of Onitsha, Anambra to five years imprisonment for faking and production of Olive oil.

“In the year 2021, the Nigerian Customs Service Benin-City, Edo State, seized and handed over to NAFDAC some unwholesome products for destruction as part of the collaborative effort and synergy between the agencies,” she said.

Ms Ononiwu was joined in the destruction exercise by NAFDAC Zonal Directors in Southeast and Southsouth as well as Coordinators in the 11 states in the two zones.

(NAN)