Onitsha Drug \u00a0Market Remains Under Lock And Keys<\/p>\n
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has continued to go to equity with unclean hands in its ongoing militarist and collective punishment operations in the Onitsha Drug Market, which was shut and kept under lock and keys since Sunday, February 9, 2025; 30 days going into 60 days. It is further informed that contrary to NAFDAC-issued and widely circulated media reports that \u201cthe Onitsha Drug Market has been unsealed and re-opened for business, with effect from Friday, March 7, 2025\u201d, the Drug Market has remained sealed and under lock and keys till date. Our checks as of Saturday, Mach 8, 2025 showed that the six affected adjoining markets were conditionally re-opened on Friday, March 7, 2025, as against Onitsha Drug Market which remains under lock and keys and situation of militarization with over a dozen armed soldiers of the Nigerian Army and their patrol vans and armored personnel vehicle as of Sunday, March 9, 2025.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
NAFDAC False Claims Of Re-Opening OnitshaDrug\u00a0Market Strongly Condemned<\/p>\n
It is therefore strongly condemnable for NAFDAC to have deliberately misinformed and misled members of the Nigerian public and generality of the world to the effect that \u201cthe Onitsha Drug Market has been unsealed and re-opened for business, with effect from Friday, March 7, 2025\u201d. The above false claims not only add to the long list of NAFDAC\u2019s operational illegalities in the Onitsha Drug Market and six recently re-opened adjoining others but also expose the Agency as \u201chaving failed woefully to go to equity with clean hands\u201d. Also strongly resisted by the Intersociety are attempts by the Agency to criminalize the Onitsha Drug Market, its members and leadership by publicly portraying it as \u201ca den of fake and illicit drug dealers, assassins and vendors of illicit small arms and light weapons and their ammunitions\u201d.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Condemnation Of NAFDAC\u2019s Recent False Alarms<\/p>\n
Our investigative findings strongly suggest that two false alarms raised recently by NAFDAC are deliberately designed for purposes of quipping up public sentiments and justification of the Agency\u2019s operational illegalities in its ongoing militarist and collective punishment operations in the Onitsha Drug Market. It is recalled that NAFADC\u2019s South-East Director, Dr Martin Iluyomade had on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, issued a widely circulated statement, claiming to have \u201cnarrowly escaped hoodlums\u2019 attack at Onitsha Drug Market and was rescued by security operatives from the hands of the hoodlums that invaded the Market unnoticed to stop the NAFDAC enforcement team from continuing the ongoing search for fake and expired drugs in the Market\u201d. As if that was not enough, on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, the Agency issued another widely circulated statement, claiming that \u201cthe Agency and its security team recovered two riffles, live cartridges and a machete and other weapons hidden by unknown individuals in the Onitsha Drug Market\u201d.<\/p>\n
The DG of NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye swiftly linked the discovery, without proper criminal investigations by competent security agencies, to \u201can assassination attempt on NAFDAC\u2019s South-East Director, Dr Martins Ilumoyade\u201d. Investigative findings by the Intersociety, however showed that the two claims were untrue. Apart from the fact that no weapons or riffles were discovered anywhere in the Onitsha Drug Market; some \u201cunprohibited firearms\u201d stumbled into by security personnel including operatives of DSS were those stumbled into at the security office of one of the affected six adjoining markets (Onitsha Plumbing Market), belonging to the Market\u2019s local vigilantes. The \u201cunprohibited firearms\u201d stumbled into (. i.e. Single\/Double Barreled\/Pump Action Guns and their Ammunition) are also those statutorily allowed under the Firearms Act of 2004.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Our Grouse Against NAFDAC:<\/p>\n
We at the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law are hereby restating our earlier position that we have nothing against NAFDAC in its anti-fake and illicit drugs\u2019 sanitization exercise conducted in Lagos, Aba, Onitsha, so long as such operations are carried out within the confines of the law including established processes and procedures; devoid of discrimination as to the ethnicity and the religion of the targeted segment of the general population. However, irrefutable findings made so far, with the ongoing operations in Onitsha Drug Market as a case study, have continued to show that the Agency\u2019s operations are fraught with illegalities and procedural errors and blunders-thereby giving room for them to be caught in a web of corrupt practices including extortion and operational illegalities and inconsistencies.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Re-Opening Of Onitsha Drug Market Likely To Be In Next 2-3 Weeks Or More\u2026<\/p>\n
The re-opening of the Onitsha Drug Market is likely to take next two or three weeks, if not more from today, being Sunday, March 9, 2025. The expected longer period for the re-opening of the Market has been brought by a flurry of operational illegalities, blunders and inconsistencies that marred the NAFDAC\u2019s militarist and collective punishment operations in the Onitsha Drug Market operations since Sunday, February 9, 2025. It is further reminded that most of these operational illegalities were detailed in our advocacy letters of February 24\/26, 2025, and their accompanied advocacy statement of February 26, 2025. Reliable sources at the Market have also informed the Intersociety that \u201cNAFDAC is in dilemma over its earlier decision to embark on blanket operations involving break-ins in the absence of shop owners or their reps or their line and central leaders; during which a flurry of illegalities and corrupt practices were widely reported; as a result of which leaders of the Market were retroactively ordered last week by the Agency to \u201ccompile and forward all the names of their shop owners, shop numbers and their line locations. It is widely feared that such unlawful and extra-legal directive is to backdate the Agency\u2019s records and legitimize or erase the illegalities and possible corrupt practices connected thereto. The unlawful directive is also being forced on leaders of the Market as one of the conditions for re-opening their Market, likely to be hearkened to under duress. The expected longer period for re-opening of the Market is likely designed by the Agency to clean its operational mess and other illegalities or inconsistencies thereto. Leaders of the Market have been summoned to appear before the South-East Zone of NAFDAC in coming few days to be given a flurry of terms and conditions for re-opening of the Market. Traders of the Market are also most likely to be directed to pay a flurry of fees including \u201cpoor storage fees\u201d; possibly for every shop and other sundry fees running into millions of naira per shop. Totality of the above is nothing short of corruption including extortion.<\/p>\n
Monitoring Of Bank Accounts Of NAFDAC And Security Operatives As Integrity Test<\/p>\n
We renew our call on NAFDAC and High Commands of the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Police Force to embark on immediate Integrity Test for all field operatives of NAFDAC and officers and personnel of the Nigerian Army and officers and personnel of the Nigerian Police Force, other than officers and personnel of the Department of the State Security Services deployed in the ongoing NAFDAC operations in Onitsha Drug Market including the withdrawn and the stationed. The referenced officers and personnel must include their barracks commanders. The monitoring of movement of money in and out of their bank accounts for six months, from February 9 to August 9, 2025, must include those of their spouses and grown-up children above 17 Years of Age using their biometrics including NIN and BVN numbers. Such electronic monitoring is to further ascertain the actual role they played in the Onitsha Drug Market NAFDAC operations and ensure that cash sums in their bank accounts are commensurate with their legitimate earnings and renumerations as \u201cServing Civil\/Public Servants\u201d in Nigeria. There must be comprehensive investigations into the entire operations and the Market re-opened without further delays.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Signed:<\/p>\n
For: International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety)<\/p>\n
\u00b7 Chinwe Umeche Esquire<\/p>\n
Head, Democracy and Good Governance Program<\/p>\n
International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u00b7 Chidinma Evangeline Udegbunam Esquire<\/p>\n
Head, Campaign and Publicity<\/p>\n
International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u00b7 Obianuju Joy Igboeli Esquire<\/p>\n
Head, Civil Liberties and Rule of Law<\/p>\n
International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u00b7 Emeka Umeagbalasi<\/p>\n
Criminologist and Graduate of Security Studies<\/p>\n
Board Chair, International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Digital Contacts:<\/p>\n
Mobile\/WhatsApp Lines: +2348174090052<\/p>\n
Email: info@intersociety-ng.org<\/p>\n
Website: https:\/\/intersociety-ng.org<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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