By Chioma Obinna
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, on Saturday confirmed that Thursday’s violent attack on its officers at the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex was a planned attempt to assassinate senior enforcement officials during a raid on fake and substandard products.
The operation, led by the Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Dr. Martins Iluyomade, followed credible intelligence on the sale and distribution of counterfeit and unwholesome goods at the market.
What began as a routine enforcement exercise quickly turned violent when armed hoodlums invaded the scene, demanding to identify the Task Force chairman. About ten operational vehicles belonging to NAFDAC and other security agencies worth over ₦25 million were vandalised during the attack.
Iluyomade, who also chairs the Federal Task Force on Counterfeit and Fake Drugs, said the incident was premeditated and coordinated from within the market.
“From reliable intelligence, this was planned. The market’s Chief Security Officer, who was accompanying us, issued a directive on their internal platform ordering all cluster leaders to act immediately. That was the signal for the lockdown and assault,” he said.
Briefing journalists in Lagos on behalf of the Director General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, he explained that the officers had already confiscated several cartons of fake, banned, and unwholesome products before the attack began.
“They locked the gates and started throwing stones. We had to escape through three locked gates under attack. If not for the calmness and professionalism of the police and military personnel with us, there would have been casualties,” he said.
The agency condemned the violence and vowed to bring all perpetrators to justice.
“This is not the first time our officials have faced such attacks. In 2022, one of our officers narrowly escaped death in the same market. But no individual or group is above the law,” Iluyomade stated.
The director general described the assault as an attack on national health security.
She commended the Nigeria Police and the military for ensuring the safety of NAFDAC officers and reaffirmed that the agency would not be intimidated.
“NAFDAC remains fully alive to its responsibility of safeguarding the health of Nigerians. This incident will only strengthen our resolve to do more,” she said.
To curb the influx of counterfeit products, Adeyeye said the agency has intensified surveillance at Nigeria’s ports and airports. She disclosed that NAFDAC recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Nigeria Customs Service to strengthen joint monitoring at points of entry.
“We are stepping up monitoring this season. With Customs, we have intercepted and are destroying over 80 containers of fake and substandard goods,” she said, adding that some importers disguise pharmaceuticals as spare parts to evade detection.
Adeyeye noted that while corruption at points of entry remains a challenge, NAFDAC is determined to dismantle the criminal networks behind fake drug importation.
“Every operation like this weakens their economic base. We will continue until the trade in fake and substandard products is stamped out,” she said.
She said the attack at the Trade Fair Complex is the latest reminder of the growing dangers faced by NAFDAC enforcement officers in the fight against Nigeria’s booming counterfeit drug market, a criminal enterprise that continues to endanger millions of lives.
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