The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has issued a stern warning against obstructing its personnel during enforcement operations targeting substandard drugs and falsified goods. Shaba Mohammed, NAFDAC's Director of Investigation and Enforcement and Chairman of the Federal Task Force on Fake and Counterfeit Products, conveyed this warning in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja.
Mohammed highlighted that several drug hawkers and touts who attacked NAFDAC's enforcement team in February have been arraigned in court. These individuals are currently facing trial before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik at the Federal High Court, Abuja, with the aim of deterring similar actions in the future.
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He reiterated that while counterfeit products still circulate, they are often introduced by unscrupulous elements who use hawkers to distribute them. NAFDAC remains committed to arresting these hawkers to trace the sources of counterfeit drugs, whether imported or locally produced. Mohammed emphasized the importance of public support in sanitizing the system and warned that anyone caught obstructing NAFDAC officials would face prosecution.
Sales of drugs in marketplaces, through hawking, or in moving vehicles are prohibited by NAFDAC laws and regarded as criminal acts. Mohammed pledged to work closely with the Federal Task Force, including agencies like the Pharmacist Council of Nigeria, Customs Service, and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Council (FCCPC), to eradicate counterfeit drugs and goods. One strategy involves manning entry points to intercept counterfeit products and employing Post Marketing Surveillance with undercover agents.
