The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has called for the prosecution of an anonymous social media influencer over a viral video criticizing its enforcement actions at the Onitsha Bridge Head Drug Market.
In a strongly worded statement on Monday, NAFDAC accused the influencer of inciting traders and spreading misinformation, potentially violating Nigeria’s Cybercrime Act. The agency said law enforcement agencies were reviewing the matter for possible legal action.
The influencer had accused NAFDAC of unjustly shutting down the entire market—over 5,000 shops—due to the involvement of a few in the sale of fake drugs. He alleged that after a three-month closure, traders were told to pay N500,000 each to reopen their shops, a fee that later rose to N700,000. Over 1,000 shop owners reportedly paid the sum, while many others remain unable to afford it.
Describing the closure as extortionate and an abuse of power, the influencer called on the federal and Anambra state governments to intervene.
In response, NAFDAC said the video misrepresented a lawful public health operation. It noted that its raids between February 9 and March 27, 2025, across open drug markets in Lagos (Idumota), Aba, and Onitsha led to the seizure and destruction of substandard, falsified, and banned drugs worth over N1 trillion.
The agency stressed that none of the affected shops met required pharmaceutical standards or were registered by the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria, justifying their closure. It accused the influencer of attempting to obstruct justice and incite public disobedience against regulatory efforts carried out in collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser.
NAFDAC reiterated that the social media comments were reckless and aimed at undermining national efforts to sanitize the drug distribution system.
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