Imagine going to a market where medicines are supposed to help sick people, but instead, some of those drugs could make them even sicker. That’s exactly what the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) discovered at the Idumota Open Drug Market in Lagos.
For years, people have been selling fake and dangerous medicines in this market. Some of these drugs were banned, expired, or stored in terrible conditions. So, NAFDAC decided to take action. In just one week, they sealed over 3,000 shops and removed 12 truckloads of illegal drugs to stop them from getting into people’s hands.
What Did They Find?
When NAFDAC officials raided the market, they found shocking things:
- Vaccines stored in hot, stuffy rooms covered with iron sheets, instead of being kept in refrigerators. This made them unsafe for use.
- Banned and dangerous drugs, like Analgin injections (which can cause severe reactions), fake HIV drugs, and expired medicines that sellers were planning to repackage and resell.
- Tramadol, codeine cough syrups, and Ecstasy (MDMA or Molly)—drugs that people misuse—were hidden in a warehouse away from where legal medicines were sold.
- Empty packs of expired malaria injections, showing that someone had been repackaging them to look new.
Why is This a Big Problem?
Fake and expired drugs are dangerous. Instead of curing people, they can make illnesses worse, cause deadly side effects, or even kill people. Imagine if someone takes medicine for malaria, but it’s fake—it won’t work, and their condition could become life-threatening.
What’s Next?
NAFDAC has promised to continue cracking down on fake drug sellers to keep Nigerians safe. The agency is working to clean up the country’s drug market and make sure only safe and approved medicines are sold.
If you ever need medicine, make sure to buy it from a trusted pharmacy or a hospital, not an open market. And if you see anyone selling suspicious drugs, you can report them to NAFDAC to help protect others.
