The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), in collaboration with security agencies, yesterday, uncovered a large-scale operation selling fake, banned, and expired drugs in Ojo, Lagos and arrested two suspects.

The four-storey building, comprising 15 flats, was used to revalidate and redistribute expired pharmaceutical products. Mr. Martins Iluyomade, NAFDAC’s Director of Investigation and Enforcement and Chairman of the Federal Task Force on Fake and Substandard Products, described the discovery as a severe threat to public health and national security.

“What we have found here is worse than Boko Haram,” Iluyomade said. “People are deliberately selling banned and expired drugs, endangering countless Nigerians.”

Seized products included artemisinin-based monotherapies banned for over a decade, and expired injections and tablets with wiped-off expiry dates, chemically revalidated for resale. “A Diazepam injection expired in 2024 was being prepared for sale. This is a double-edged danger — banned and expired,” he added, linking such drugs to rising treatment failures and preventable deaths.

Iluyomade also noted that discontinued drugs from Europe continue to be dumped in Nigeria. “Empty tablets are imported in bulk, filled into fake packs, and sold. The scale is horrifying,” he said, pledging that local and foreign collaborators would be pursued in collaboration with international partners.

Confirming the arrests, CSP Omolola Opeifa, Divisional Police Officer of Ojo, stated: “Two suspects were caught at the scene and are currently in custody.”

Chairman of Ojo Local Government, Princess Muhibat Rufai, expressed shock, noting that the operation had allegedly persisted for over a decade. The building, under renovation for 15 years with no actual work, had been used for overnight drug production and distribution to Lagos pharmacies.

“The drugs date back to 2022, and labels were altered to extend expiry. The building has been sealed, and the community cannot claim ignorance,” Rufai said, adding that the building owner is deceased, with his wife currently preparing for burial. (Vanguard)

• Martins Iluyomade, Director, Investigation and Enforcement and Chairman, Federal Task Force on Fake and Substandard Products, NAFDAC