IPOB said this was done under the guise of searching for fake drugs.
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has accused officials of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) of looting goods at Onitsha drug market, popularly known as Ogbo Ogwu.
IPOB said this was done under the guise of searching for fake drugs.
In a statement released on Thursday by IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, the group condemned a midnight operation carried out by NAFDAC officials at the market located at Head Bridge, Onitsha.
According to IPOB, the officers allegedly blocked all CCTV cameras before breaking into shops and carting away goods, which they later branded as fake drugs.
The group further alleged that NAFDAC did not provide evidence of burning the confiscated drugs as claimed.
While reaffirming its stance against the sale of counterfeit drugs, IPOB criticised NAFDAC for what it described as unprofessional conduct.
The group questioned the agency’s motives, asking why the raid was conducted at midnight in the absence of shop owners and why surveillance cameras were deliberately obstructed.
IPOB also demanded answers on how NAFDAC determined that the seized drugs were counterfeit and where the confiscated goods were deposited.
Furthermore, IPOB accused NAFDAC of unjustly sealing the entire market, affecting both guilty and innocent traders.
The group emphasised that while tackling the menace of fake drugs is crucial, regulatory agencies must act with professionalism and respect for citizens’ rights.
It called on NAFDAC to return the allegedly looted genuine goods and urged the agency to establish offices within drug markets to properly oversee the distribution of pharmaceuticals.
Powerful stated, “IPOB condemns the peddlers of fake drugs. At the same time, we condemn the criminal raids by NAFDAC on people's shops in their absence while blackmailing all the traders as dealers of fake drugs.
“The action of blocking the surveillance cameras with black nylon bags is a criminal act, and in every shop at the market the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control broke into people's stores and shops.
“This criminal activity by the notorious NAFDAC officers was conducted in the middle of the night.
“NAFDAC looted people's shops in Onitsha and branded all the drugs they carted away as fake drugs without showing the evidence that the drugs were indeed fake.
“The questions that NAFDAC must answer are: Why raid people's shops in the middle of the night in the absence of the owners?
“Why did NAFDAC criminal officers block the cameras in people's shops in the market while conducting those raids?
“How did NAFDAC determine whether the drugs they carted away were fake or genuine?
“Where did NAFDAC deposit all the drugs they claimed were fake.
“Why did NAFDAC seal the entire drug market punishing both the guilty and the innocent?”
The IPOB spokesperson added, “IPOB does not encourage or support the inimical activities of fake drugs peddlers in the Onitsha market, but NAFDAC must apply citizens' rights, decorum, and professionalism and not act like a rogue agency.
“The Nigerian government agencies always apply a heavy-hand approach at any given opportunity against the Ndigbo and the carrot approach when dealing with other ethnic groups.
“NAFDAC should do well to return the genuine goods their rogue staff looted from the owners at Onitsha's Head Bridge Drugs market or Ogbo Ogwu.”
IPOB also suggested that affected traders seek legal redress against NAFDAC, arguing that the agency’s actions amounted to criminality.
The group called on NAFDAC to collaborate with the Anambra State Government in relocating the market to Oba and ensuring that only licensed and certified drug dealers operate there.
The controversy surrounding this raid has reignited concerns over regulatory enforcement practices in Nigeria, with calls for increased transparency and accountability in the fight against counterfeit pharmaceuticals.
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