
News
USAID-donated drugs found in Lagos, Abia markets as NAFDAC makes shocking discoveries
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control on Wednesday said it seized 87 truckloads of banned, expired and substandard medicinal products, including USAID and UNFPA-donated antiretroviral drugs, male and female condoms, among others.
NAFDAC’s Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, who revealed this on Wednesday, added that counterfeiters were after her life and those of her workers.
Adeyeye, who briefed State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, said, “I told you about the attempted murder about six months ago. One of our staff members in Kano had his child kidnapped because he was doing his job. Fortunately, the child escaped.
“For me, I have two policemen living in my house 24/7 in Abuja and Lagos. I don’t have a life.
“I can’t go anywhere without police escorts. That’s not my way of living, but I don’t have a choice because we must save our country. Nonetheless, I also use common sense.”

NAFDAC is currently on a nationwide crackdown on illicit drug trade, which saw it raiding the country’s three major open drug markets of Ariaria and Eziukwu in Aba, Bridge Head Market in Onitsha and Idumota Drug Market in Lagos.
The campaign is part of NAFDAC’s National Action Plan 2.0 (2023-2027) to eliminate counterfeit medicines, improve regulatory compliance and safeguard public health.
She affirmed that the operation uncovered shocking violations of drug storage and distribution regulations, including diverted donated medical supplies, large quantities of USAID and UNFPA-donated antiretroviral drugs and condoms meant to support Nigeria’s HIV/AIDS response were found expired and repackaged for sale.
These life-saving medications, she added, were either improperly stored or deliberately resold for profit, undermining global efforts to combat HIV/AIDS in Nigeria.
While the integrity and legality of some of the products were not in question, the storage environment was harsh and could denature the products, she explained.
“Some of the products (seized) are large quantities of donated antiretroviral drugs, expired female, and male condoms by USAID, UNFPA.
“Large quantities of pharmaceutical products, including vaccines, prescription-only medicines, etc. These products were discovered stacked in toilets, under the staircase, and on the rooftop at very high temperatures without consideration for cold chain storage requirements.
“Oxytocin injection and several thermolabile products stored under extremely hot temperatures, enough to denature any genuine pharmaceuticals.
“The problem is not only about the originality of the products but about the environment and storage. Products recommended to be stored at -8°C, -2°C to 8°C were found in this environment,” she noted.
Among the discovered goods were large quantities of controlled drugs such as TAFRADOL (recently banned in India after BBC undercover exposure of the company manufacturing and exporting various illicit drugs to Africa, including Nigeria), Tramadol, Flunitrazepam (Rohypnol), Nitrazepam and Diazepam.
“The volume of narcotics and controlled substances seized from each of these locations is enough to destabilise the country security-wise,” she added, saying the agency also found vast quantities of banned, unregistered, expired products in the plumbing and wood plank sections of the Head Bridge.
“Warehouses filled to the brim with such drugs listed above, without windows, and where the temperature could be as high as 40°C, a high potential for chemical degradation of the products into less effective and toxic degradants,” the NAFDAC DG explained.
Adeyeye, who described the operation as the agency’s most significant in history, put the value of drugs seized at N1tn, saying post-assessment figures could be much higher.
“It is N1tn. It may be an underestimation for now, but when we finish the operation, we will have a good idea,” she clarified.
Commencing on February 9, 2025, it involved 1,100 security operatives, including military personnel, police, and Department of State Services agents.
According to her, the security forces cordoned off the markets to prevent traders from concealing or smuggling illegal products. So far, 40 arrests have been made, with suspects facing prosecution.
“During this exercise, NAFDAC succeeded in removing from circulation 87 truckloads of banned, expired, unregistered, suspected falsified and substandard medical products from the three markets removed from over 7,000 shops screened as of today, February 26, 2025.
“A database of these shops and the offences committed has been created for further steps. More than 40 arrests have been made, which will be followed by prosecution,” Adeyeye said.
She explained further details of the operation, saying: “The screening of shops ended on Tuesday, February 25, in Idumota and Aba as shops with non-violative or non-NAFDAC regulated products are being reopened. Owners of such shops are being asked to sign undertakings agreeing to relocate to the designated Coordinated Wholesale Centre on completion.
“Meanwhile, the operation continues in Onitsha Head Bridge until next week, when a similar process of opening the shops to non-violative shop owners and charging the violative ones accordingly will commence.
“After the operation, NAFDAC and the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria plan the relocation of these markets within the next one year to the scheduled Coordinated Wholesale Centres. There will be six such CWCs across the country, representing one per geopolitical zone.”
The anti-drug chief said her efforts had put her and her staff members in the line of assassins’ fire.
She called on security agencies to protect them amid hazards as she advocated the death penalty for those producing and selling fake drugs in the country.(PUNCH)
News
BREAKING: Tension as Video Shows Islamic Group Members Allegedly Calling for AK-47 to Kill Christians in Enugu, Jos
Tension has heightened following the emergence of a viral video purportedly showing members of an Islamic volunteer group chanting lyrics calling for an AK-47 rifle to attack Christians in Enugu and Jos, the Plateau State capital.
The footage, which has sparked outrage and concern on social media, reportedly features members of the Agaji volunteer wing of Jama’atu Izalatil Bid’ah Wa Iqamatus Sunnah (JIBWIS), popularly known as Izala.
The video, shared by counterterrorism expert Zagazola Makama, gained traction on social media, particularly X, on Sunday.
It shows a group of young men dressed in brown uniforms and blue berets, with one of them leading a chant containing violent references to obtaining an AK-47 rifle to attack people described as “infidels” in the two cities.
In one section of the chant, the singer calls for a rifle to enable an individual to travel to Enugu and attack Christians while they are worshipping in church.

“He should be given AK-47. He would then go to Enugu, the land of the infidels. On Sunday, when they are worshipping and clapping, he would then open fire, so that he can kill the infidels,” the lyrics state.
The chant subsequently references Jos, with another call for an AK-47 to attack people described as infidels.
“He asked to be given an AK-47 again, so that he can go to Jos and kill more infidels. That is the training,” the singer says.
The video has triggered widespread concern among Nigerians, with many calling on security agencies to investigate the footage, identify those involved and take appropriate action to prevent any potential threat to public safety.
The references to Enugu and Jos, alongside the explicit calls for armed attacks during Christian worship, have raised concerns about the safety of residents and worshippers in the affected cities.
However, as of the time of filing this report, the governments of Enugu and Plateau states, as well as the relevant security agencies, had yet to issue official statements on the video.
It remains unclear when and where the footage was recorded and whether the individuals featured in it have been identified by security authorities.
News
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala loses mother
Prof. Kamene Okonjo, matriarch of Umu Obi Obahai Royal Family, mother of Obi Ifechukwude Okonjo ll, traditional ruler of Ogwashi Uku community in Delta has passed on.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the matriarch, and mother of the Director- General, World Trade Organisation, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, died on Friday at the age of 96.
The late Kamene Okonjo was the beloved wife of late Obi (Prof.) Chukwuka Okonjo, the immediate past traditional ruler of Ogwashi-Uku community, with whom she shared 66 years of marriage.
This is contained in a statement by Chief Ifeakanachukwu Emordi, Palace Secretary of the community on behalf of the royal family on Sunday.
According to the statement, the late Okonjo was an extraordinary woman, whose remarkable life was defined by intellectual brilliance, humility, compassion, dignity and an unwavering commitment to the advancement of humanity.

“An internationally recognised and foremost sociologist, Prof. Kamene Okonjo distinguished herself through her outstanding academic accomplishments, intellectual contributions and lifelong advocacy for women’s rights and empowerment.
“She was a woman of exceptional intellect, yet possessed a rare gentleness of spirit, humility and grace that endeared her to everyone privileged to know her.
“Her achievements transcended the boundaries of Ogwashi-Uku and Nigeria, earning her admiration and respect within academic and intellectual circles internationally.”
The statement added that the late Okonjo represented the very finest qualities of scholarship, womanhood, motherhood and service to society.
“Beyond her considerable professional accomplishments, she was a devoted mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and a cherished pillar of the royal family.
“Her wisdom, kindness, quiet strength and exemplary character will remain an enduring inspiration to generations yet unborn.
“While we mourn her passing, we celebrate a life exceptionally well lived.
“At 96 years, Okonjo left behind an extraordinary legacy of scholarship, service, family values and advocacy for the dignity and advancement of women.
“We take comfort in our Christian faith and the assurance that she is resting peacefully with the Lord, haven completed her earthly journey with grace and distinction,” it said.
The statement said the entire Umu Obi Obahai family extended its deepest and most heartfelt condolences to the Obi of Ogwashi-Uku, her beloved children; Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Dr Njideka Okonjo-Udochi, Onyema Okonjo and Chichi Okonjo.
The family also extended their condolences to their spouses, sons and daughters in law, her grandchildren, great-grandchildren and the entire extended Okonjo royal family.
It also enjoined the people of Ogwashi-Uku to join the family in celebrating the extraordinary life and enduring legacy of their remarkable daughter, mother, scholar and matriarch, whose contributions to humanity would never be forgotten. (NAN)
News
NCDC Reports Two Suspected Ebola Cases as Contacts Rise to 53
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has reported two suspected Ebola cases as the number of people being monitored following the country’s confirmed infection rises to 53.
The development has heightened the urgency of efforts to contain the virus and prevent further transmission.
The Director-General of the NCDC, Dr Jide Idris, disclosed this on Sunday, October 25, 2026, during a press briefing in Abuja, where he provided an update on the country’s surveillance and response measures.
“We have established two additional suspected cases and 53 primary contact links. They are primary contacts. We have an isolation centre and a quarantine centre,” Idris said.
However, details surrounding the two suspected cases remained unclear, as other accounts of the briefing indicated that authorities had investigated two cases, including the confirmed infection in Abuja and a suspected case in Rivers State that subsequently tested negative.

The reported suspected cases should therefore not be interpreted as additional confirmed infections without laboratory confirmation.
Providing details of the contact-tracing exercise, Idris said the 53 contacts comprised 44 people linked to the healthcare facility where the confirmed patient received treatment and nine others identified through further investigations.
The additional contacts included three members of the patient’s household, three healthcare workers who attended to her at an earlier medical facility and three personnel involved in collecting samples.
According to the NCDC, the identified contacts had been classified according to their exposure risks and placed under monitoring. None had tested positive for Ebola or developed symptoms as of the briefing.
Idris explained that public health teams would monitor the exposed individuals for 21 days after their last possible exposure, in line with established protocols for detecting and responding promptly to potential infections.
He also disclosed that approximately 12 public and private laboratories were available to conduct Ebola testing in Nigeria as authorities continued to strengthen the country’s diagnostic capacity.
The NCDC director-general urged healthcare facilities nationwide to reinforce screening, patient assessment and infection prevention measures.
He stressed the need to provide healthcare workers with adequate personal protective equipment and ensure the prompt reporting of suspected infections.
Idris further appealed to individuals contacted by public health officials to cooperate with investigators and provide accurate information about their movements, possible exposure and symptoms.
Nigeria confirmed its first Ebola case in the current regional outbreak on October 20, 2026, after a woman with a recent travel history to Uganda tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain of the virus in Abuja.
According to the World Health Organisation, the woman developed symptoms on October 7 and sought treatment at a private health facility on October 11 before laboratory tests confirmed the infection.
The initial contact-tracing exercise identified 44 people, but the figure subsequently increased to 53 as investigations expanded.
The Federal Government has maintained heightened surveillance while strengthening laboratory testing, isolation arrangements and infection prevention protocols.
Health authorities have urged Nigerians to remain vigilant, cooperate with public health officials and avoid spreading unverified information as investigations and monitoring continue.
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