The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says its operatives alongside security personnel have discovered a cache of arms and ammunition including rifles, live cartridges, and other weapons hidden by unknown persons at the Ogbo Ogwu Bridge Head Market in Onitsha, Anambra State.
The Agency’s South East Zonal Director, Martins Iluyomade, revealed this on Wednesday while addressing journalists. NAFDAC has been carrying out a crackdown on the drug sections of the market as well as other adjoining sections in the market since February 10.
Mr. Martins Iluyomade expressed shock at the discovery, and stated that the discovery shows that the fake drug dealers hid the rifles and intended to attack the NAFDAC’s enforcement team.
On the progress report of the Agency’s sanitisation efforts, the NAFDAC director revealed that so far 50 trailer loads of counterfeit and substandard drugs have been discovered in the market and transfered to the agency’s laboratories for further tests.
“Every night, we keep arresting people who attempt to forcefully break into the shops to move the fake drugs or do one thing or another in this market. They are in custody and volunteering useful information”, Iluyomade stated.
He commended leaders of the market for working with the NAFDAC enforcement team throughout the period of the operations and expressed hope that some sections of the market would be reopened this week while they begin the next phase of the exercise.