The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has uncovered two rifles, live cartridges, and other weapons in a raid on the Onitsha drug market.
The agency’s security team made the discovery while conducting a nationwide campaign to eradicate fake and counterfeit drugs from markets.
Director-General of NAFDAC, Professor Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, revealed that the agency had been operating at the Onitsha bridge head drug market since February 10, 2025.
Adeyeye expressed surprise at the discovery, which she viewed as an assassination attempt on the agency’s Director in the South-east zone, Dr. Martins Iluyomade.
Iluyomade, who conducts debriefing at the spot where the weapons were found, was the target of the alleged assassination attempt.
The agency also arrested two suspects in connection with the discovery and foiled two attempts by hoodlums to gain entrance into the stores where seized drugs were parked.
Adeyeye assured the public that the exercise was not targeted at any person or group but was a national assignment for the general good of the populace.
She commended the leadership of the markets for working with the agency throughout the operations and announced that some sections of the market would be reopened this week.
The agency has moved over 50 trailer loads of counterfeit and substandard drugs discovered in the market to a safer place for further action.
Adeyeye noted that the agency’s security team had been working tirelessly to ensure that the market is free from fake and counterfeit drugs.
She urged the public to continue to support the agency’s efforts to ensure that only genuine and safe drugs are available in the market.
