NAFDAC Generated ₦2.5bn from Drug Market Raids says DG

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says it generated ₦2.5 billion in fines from recent drug enforcement operations in Lagos, Onitsha, and Aba. Director-General Mojisola Adeyeye made the disclosure before a House of Representatives committee in Abuja. She said the fines stemmed from raids on open drug markets dealing in counterfeit medicines.

Adeyeye clarified that the charges, paid into NAFDAC’s account, were not punitive but necessary to enforce compliance with goods distribution and storage practices. While the standard fine stands at ₦2 million, it was reduced to ₦500,000 in many cases. She revealed that after covering operational and regulatory costs, only ₦207 million remained from the total collected.

Also Read: Poor Quality Graduates Mobilised For Youth Service Says NYSC DG

The DG said the agency had to borrow ₦159 million to finance operations due to insufficient funds, noting that NAFDAC’s account was only recently reopened with a zero balance. She added that operatives faced strong resistance in Kano during a separate court-ordered relocation of over 1,300 drug shops to a new regulated centre. Traders had padlocked their stores, prompting NAFDAC to forcibly seal them.

She cited security concerns, including threats of violence, as limiting enforcement efforts, and confirmed that further inspections and fee collections were unfeasible under the volatile conditions.