NAFDAC Confiscates N25 million Worth of Unregistered Drugs

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Wednesday, July 20th, 2016

By Ignatius Okpara, Enugu

ENUGU, NIGERIA (AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The National Agency for Food Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Wednesday confiscated a total 152 cartons of unregistered Dizapam tablets B.P. 10mg valued over N25million.

Enugu State Coordinator of the agency, Ikechuku Okoye, disclosed this to newsmen before displaying the drugs in his office at the Enugu Federal secretariat.

He hinted that the Dizapam tablets B.P. 10mg, manufactured in Mumbai – India by Shalina Laboratories PVT Limited was smuggled into Nigeria and was intercepted by the Nigeria Customs Service at Cross River State land border with Cameron.

Okoye added that the agency was alerted immediately the drugs were brought to the Enugu office of the Customs.

According him, “what happened is inter-departmental achievement, the Custom in Enugu called us that they intercepted drug products at the Nigerian – Cameron border in Cross River State and that we should come and check if it is within our jurisdiction.

“When we get there we saw ‘Dizapam’ a controlled drug and we checked and found out that the product was not registered by NAFDAC and the owner was bringing it into the country illegally.

“The Custom now handed it to us for further investigation”.

The Coordinator said “even if the drug is genuine, it is a controlled drug which means it is sold by prescription only from qualified physician and it cannot be sold behind the counter.

“It is for sedative, so I wonder people who brought it in, but we are still trying to get more information from the Customs so that we will go for the person that brought it into the country, because it is a controlled drug and it has to be registered for NAFDAC to monitor how it is been used”.

“The drugs worth over N25 million, I wonder while somebody will engage in a business worth such amount and preferred not to register it with NAFDAC, but preferred to be bringing it illegally.

“It is unfortunate, but NAFDAC is equal to the task”, the NAFDAC coordinator declared.

He however advised members of the public to always insist on buying drugs or products regulated by NAFDAC, stressing that any product without NAFDAC registration number, but regulated by NAFDAC is fake.