The National Agency For Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), in collaboration with the Pharmacist Council of Nigeria (PCN), sealed off 1,321 medicine stores for operating illegally in Kano.

Francis Ononiwu, the director of investigation and enforcement at NAFDAC, made this known while addressing journalists on Monday in Kano.

He said the joint operations took place on Saturday and Sunday, Feb.17 and Feb.18.

He said the stores were located in Malam Kato Square, Niger Street and Sabon Gari Market Kano.

“The enforcement action was to ensure medical dealers relocate to the Coordinated Wholesale Centre (CWC) in Dangwauro, along Zaria Road Kano.

“This is in line with our regulatory function of enforcement and ensuring that only quality drugs are in circulation.

“We need to sanitise the drug distribution system in the country. If drugs are not kept in a cooling premises, they degrade into poisonous substances,” Mr Ononiwu said.

He noted that most of the medicine premises visited were operating in an unventilated environment.

“Some drugs need to be stored In a refrigerator, especially life-saving drugs, for quality output.

“Investigation revealed that some of these medicine outlets smuggle fake narcotics products and banned products such as analgin injection illegally.

“The use of narcotics drugs contributed to the security situation in the country.

He called on the medicine dealers to see their relocation as the survival of public health and as part of an effort to continue to fight against substandard drugs.

“Medicine dealers relocation to CWC, the regulatory bodies could easily supervise any drugs coming in to address the issue of fake and substandard drugs,” Mr Ononiwu said.

Also speaking, the director of enforcement of the PCN, Stephen Esumobi, said the medicine dealers were operating in illegal premises.

“Most of the drugs we found have narrow marginal safety to health because the drugs are toxic and therapeutic doses are narrow.

“The sale and distribution of pharmaceutical products in the premises were not under the supervision of a pharmacist,” Mr Esumobi said

A Federal High Court in Kano, on Feb.16, ordered the medicine dealers to relocate to the approved Coordinated Wholesale Centre (CWC) in Kano Economic City, Dangwauro, along Zaria Road.

(NAN)