The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) yesterday destroyed counterfeit, expired, banned and unwholesome pharmaceutical products and consumables valued at more than N15 billion in Ibadan, Oyo State .

The exercise, held at the Moniya dumpsite, was attended by representatives of the Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services, Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Road Safety Corps, Oyo State Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Association of Community Pharmacists, and other agencies.

NAFDAC Director General, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, represented by the Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Martins Iluyomade, said the move was part of the agency’s intensified efforts to rid the country of substandard and dangerous products.

The destroyed items included Analgin, Cocodamol, codeine cough syrups, tramadol, oxytocin, falsified vaccines, and other unregistered or counterfeit medicines.

Adeyeye disclosed that NAFDAC recently intercepted a consignment falsely labelled as diclofenac, which was later found to contain anti-malarial drugs worth millions of naira.

She added that enforcement operations also uncovered factories producing cosmetic products illegally within a military barracks in Lagos, while other seizures were made across the country.

Adeyeye commended the Nigeria Customs Service for handing over 25 containers of pharmaceutical products, including tramadol, artesunate injection and codeine-based syrups, as well as prohibited frozen chicken, all of which were destroyed during the exercise.

“We are resolutely committed to ensuring that food, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices, chemicals, packaged water and beverages consumed in Nigeria are safe, wholesome and effective,” Adeyeye said. “The destruction of these products eliminates the risk of their re-entry into circulation.”

Oyo State NAFDAC Director, Samuel Adeyemi, reiterated the agency’s zero tolerance for substandard and unregulated products and urged members of the public to report suspicious items or dealers. “If you see something, say something,” he said.

Adeyeye also called on community leaders, health professionals, religious organisations and the media to intensify public education on the dangers of patronising quacks and unauthorised medicine vendors.

“Together, we can protect the health and safety of all Nigerians,” she said.