Soludo urges tighter border control to stop fake drug imports

Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State has called on the Federal Government to take urgent action to curb the influx of counterfeit drugs into the country.

He stressed the need for stricter control of the supply chain to prevent dangerous products from reaching local markets.

His appeal follows alarming discoveries in Onitsha’s markets, particularly the notorious Ọgbọ Ogwụ market, where regulators recently uncovered large quantities of falsified and banned drugs.

While local regulatory efforts continue, Soludo stressed that the solution must begin at the point of entry, where these dangerous products are first smuggled into the country.

The governor disclosed this in a statement on X.com on Sunday, following his visit to Onitsha on Saturday to inspect the Ọgbọ Ogwụ market and the nearby Plumbing Materials Market, which was recently shut down by regulatory authorities.

He wrote, “I visited the Ọgbọ Ogwụ and adjoining markets today in Onitsha. As the biggest open drug market in Africa, it is not surprising that federal agencies and regulatory bodies would, from time to time, visit the market to enforce standards and check the sale of fake, counterfeit, and controlled drugs.

“With drugs and related matters strictly under the Exclusive List, my visit today was interventionist. First, I sought to ascertain why other markets close to the drug market in Onitsha were closed.

“Away from the media sensation created by a few political actors, the leadership of the Plumbing Materials Market, which was shut down alongside the drug market, confirmed to me that the discoveries made by regulators in some shops were shocking and disturbing.”

Soludo noted that several shops were found to be harbouring cartons of counterfeit drugs, many of which had been banned both locally and globally.

“How these drugs, which have been banned globally and locally, are still being manufactured in India, pass through our various ports (sea and air), and find their way to our local drug markets remains a question only the relevant authorities can answer,” he wrote.

In light of this, Soludo called for an intensified crackdown on the supply chain that brings harmful drugs into the country, emphasising that while efforts to rid the country of fake and counterfeit drugs are crucial, the Federal Government must “tighten up the noose on the supply end of the value chain.”

Soludo added that he has directed that the search in the markets be expedited so that traders at the Plumbing Materials Market can be allowed to reopen and resume their legitimate commercial activities within 10 days.

As part of his commitment to tackling the issue locally, the governor also mentioned a coordinated wholesale drug centre under construction in Oba, Idemili South Local Government Area.

The facility is expected to accommodate a new, standardised Ọgbọ Ogwụ market.

“This is our contribution to ending the current chaotic market environment where fake and counterfeit drugs thrive.

“Onitsha remains the largest trading hub in Africa. We will further expand this status to a more befitting height,” he concluded.

PUNCH Online reports that during its enforcement exercise, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control seized 10 trucks loaded with fake, expired, and falsified drugs at the Ọgbọ Ogwụ Bridge Head Market in Onitsha, the commercial hub of Anambra State.