Fake drug cartels fighting back, but we won't relent — Ogbo Ogwu Leadership

Handover of seized and expired drugs

In a major push to rid Nigeria's largest medicine market of fake and substandard pharmaceuticals, the leadership of Ogbo Ogwu, also known as Onitsha Medicine Market, on Monday handed over fake, expired and unwholesome drugs valued at over N430 million to the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control, NAFDAC, for destruction.

The development marks another phase in the market's ongoing collaboration with NAFDAC to eliminate illicit medicines from circulation and protect public health. The drugs, packaged in about 400 cartons, comprised products seized by the market's task force between December 2025 and June 2026, as well as expired medicines voluntarily surrendered by traders for proper disposal.

Addressing journalists during the handover, Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of Ogbo Ogwu Medicine Market, Mr. Chukwuleta Ndubisi, said the market leadership had adopted a zero-tolerance approach to the sale of prohibited, fake and expired medicines.

According to him, many of the drugs were intercepted before they could enter the market, while others were confiscated from offending traders during routine inspections.

The drugs are being evacuated from our market because the law does not permit their sale. Most of them were smuggled into the market for sale, but we have an eagle-eyed task force that always intercepts such products.

— Chukwuleta Ndubisi, Chairman, Caretaker Committee, Ogbo Ogwu Medicine Market

Market enforcement and trader compliance

Ndubisi said the market task force regularly conducts shop-to-shop inspections to identify and seize prohibited medicines. He added that traders have increasingly embraced voluntary compliance by submitting expired drugs to the union for onward transfer to NAFDAC.

He said some of the products handed over were not only confiscated during enforcement operations but were also brought in by traders who chose to comply with the rules on safe disposal.

Some of the expired drugs were willingly brought to the union by their owners. We collect them, document them and hand them over to NAFDAC. We are happy that more traders now understand the importance of doing the right thing.

— Chukwuleta Ndubisi, Chairman, Caretaker Committee, Ogbo Ogwu Medicine Market

The handover highlights the role the market leadership says it is playing in internal monitoring, documentation and coordination with regulators as part of efforts to remove dangerous products from circulation.

Resistance from illicit drug cartels

Ndubisi said the campaign against illicit drug dealers has faced resistance from groups whose activities have been disrupted by the enforcement drive. He alleged that criminal cartels involved in the illegal trade had continued to sponsor campaigns aimed at frustrating the market leadership.

He said the pressure had included insults, propaganda and threats, but maintained that the market leadership would continue its clean-up efforts.

The fight has not been easy because the cartel involved in illicit drug trade is fighting us. They insult us, spread propaganda and even threaten our lives because we have disrupted their dangerous business. But we are not relenting.

The primary aim of my leadership is to sanitize this market. I came with a revolutionary mindset to rid Ogbo Ogwu of fake and unwholesome drugs. Some people believe we are destroying their business, but our achievements are speaking for us.

— Chukwuleta Ndubisi, Chairman, Caretaker Committee, Ogbo Ogwu Medicine Market

His remarks framed the handover as part of a broader struggle over compliance and enforcement within one of the country's biggest pharmaceutical trading hubs.

NAFDAC backs market leadership and plans destruction

Receiving the confiscated products on behalf of NAFDAC, the Deputy Director, Investigation and Enforcement, South-South and South-East Region, Mr. Omoyeni Tunji, commended the leadership of Ogbo Ogwu for its cooperation and commitment to sanitizing the market.

He said the agency had maintained a strong working relationship with the market leadership and praised the voluntary handover of confiscated and expired products for destruction.

The Chairman of the market officially informed NAFDAC and even visited my office regarding these drugs. These are products seized by the market task force, while others were voluntarily surrendered by their owners.

— Omoyeni Tunji, Deputy Director, Investigation and Enforcement, South-South and South-East Region, NAFDAC

Tunji said NAFDAC and the market leadership had jointly agreed that banned products should have no place within Ogbo Ogwu and that the market had consistently upheld that commitment.

We have more than 192 banned items that should not be sold in any market. Today, the market is handing over about 400 cartons of unwholesome drugs. We are aggregating these products and, in no distant time, we will invite the public for their destruction in Awka.

— Omoyeni Tunji, Deputy Director, Investigation and Enforcement, South-South and South-East Region, NAFDAC

Tunji also reaffirmed NAFDAC's recognition of the existing Caretaker Committee led by Ndubisi as the legitimate leadership of the market, stressing that all enforcement activities are carried out in collaboration with the committee and its task force.

>> "We recognise only one union in this market and it is led by Mr. Chukwuleta Ndubisi. Whenever we come here for enforcement operations, we work directly with his office and the market task force.

Although we have armed police officers, we do not want to create unnecessary tension in the market. That is why we work closely with the market leadership.

— Omoyeni Tunji, Deputy Director, Investigation and Enforcement, South-South and South-East Region, NAFDAC

Efforts to restore peace among stakeholders

The NAFDAC official acknowledged recent disagreements involving some groups within the market and said the agency was already engaging stakeholders to restore harmony.

He said the Director-General was aware of the issues and that the agency's director in Lagos was reaching out to the parties involved. According to him, information had been gathered from all sides ahead of a planned meeting.

Our Director-General is aware of the issues. Our director in Lagos is reaching out to all the parties involved. We have gathered information from all sides and, very soon, we will convene a meeting because we want peace in our markets while ensuring that the fight against fake and banned medicines continues uninterrupted.

— Omoyeni Tunji, Deputy Director, Investigation and Enforcement, South-South and South-East Region, NAFDAC

The latest handover underscores the growing partnership between market authorities and NAFDAC in strengthening regulatory compliance and protecting Nigerians from the dangers posed by counterfeit, expired and substandard medicines.