By Goodness Ndukuba, Awka on May 28, 2025

The Human Rights Liberty Access and Peace Defenders'Foundation (HURIDE) and Campaign for Democracy (CD), South East Zone, have condemned the alleged exploitative and extortion of the drugs market traders, Onitsha, Anambra state by the National Agency for Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

Unfortunately, said the rights groups, already drugs worth over N1.5 trillions have been impounded in the market by NAFDAC.

Dede Uzor A Uzor, the Executive Director of HURIDE and Chairman of CD raised the alarm in a statement in Onitsha on Tuesday.

He said the extortion of N700,000 per trader in the name of penalty charge was a clear case of extortion, while most of the shops were still under luck and key.

They asked NAFDAC to return the monies collected from traders in the name of penalty fees before such shops would be reopened.

"Does payment amount to legalisation of fake drugs if such payment are made?

Does it mean that everyone in the market was involved in dealing with fake and unwholesome drugs"?

The groups said that they didn't support any form of adulteration, fake and substandard drugs because ,"drug fakers are more dangerous than armed robbers.

"An armed robber will target his victim, but a faker targets the entire world if allowed to operate"?

But they contended that NAFDAC was not clean in its operation, saying that they did not consider the genuine drugs dealers and health of some citizens whose lives depended on some potent saving drugs from United kingdom (UK), United State of America (USA) and other advanced countries.

"Some of these drugs haven't been registered with NAFDAC because of the bureaucratic bottleneck and huge amount being demanded by the agency before such drugs would be registered," they added.

They called for full investigation into financial dealing of NAFDAC officials during and after the clampdown of the drug market especially monies that accrued from the  payment by defenceless and innocent traders running into billions of naira.

NAFDAC had on March 6, 2025, at Onitsha Drug market with combined security operatives of the Nigerian Army, DSS, Nigerian Police and other security forces invaded the market and clamped down on it with aim of impounding and confiscating unwholesome and adulterated drugs.

Source Daily Sports Nigeria

Posted May 28, 2025

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