Victoria Mbangwa
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has uncovered a cache of weapons, including rifles, live cartridges, and machetes, at the Niger Bridge Head drug market in Onitsha, Anambra State.
This shocking discovery comes as the agency intensifies its crackdown on counterfeit and substandard drugs across the country.
The Director-General of NAFDAC, Professor Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, revealed that the weapons were found hidden at a location where Dr. Martins Iluyomade, the agency’s South-East Zonal Director, conducts daily briefings.
“With prompt interventions of our security, we saw and recovered dagger, machetes, two guns and rifles. All other nights, we have arrested people who try to break in and do one thing or another in this market. They are in custody and volunteering useful information,” she said.
This has raised suspicions of a possible assassination attempt against him. Two suspects have been arrested in connection with attempted break-ins at storage facilities holding seized counterfeit drugs.
Since February 10, 2025, NAFDAC has been conducting a large-scale operation at the Onitsha drug market as part of a nationwide effort to rid markets of fake and substandard pharmaceutical products. As a result, at least 50 trailer loads of counterfeit drugs have been confiscated and relocated to a secure facility for further action.
Despite resistance from some individuals, including attempts by hoodlums to infiltrate the storage facilities, the agency remains committed to the mission. Adeyeye assured that the operation is not targeted at any specific group but is a national assignment aimed at protecting public health.
She also praised the cooperation of market leaders and hinted that some sections of the market would be reopened soon as NAFDAC moves to the next phase of the operation.
With prompt interventions of our security, we saw and recovered dagger, machetes, two guns and rifles. All other nights, we have arrested people who try to break in and do one thing or another in this market. They are in custody and volunteering useful information,”
