Senator Tony Nwoye has condemned the continued closure of Ogbo Ogwu Market in Onitsha and alleged extortion of traders by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), describing the agency’s actions as “regulatory overreach” and a “gross injustice.”
The senator, who represents Anambra North in the National Assembly, called for urgent intervention from both the federal and Anambra State governments to reopen the market and refund money collected from affected traders.
The popular drug market has remained shut since February 2025, after NAFDAC sealed over 5,000 shops during a raid that targeted the sale of fake and adulterated medicines. NAFDAC alleged that some traders were dealing in counterfeit pharmaceuticals.
However, Senator Nwoye argued that the agency’s actions punished thousands of innocent business owners beyond the pharmaceutical sector. He described the blanket sanctions as excessive and exploitative, especially the demand for each shop to pay N500,000, later increased to N700,000, as a condition for reopening.
“There is no legal justification for the blanket penalties imposed on these traders,” Nwoye said in a statement. “This is an economic assault on thousands of families who depend on the market for survival. No other market in Nigeria has been subjected to such mass punishment.”
The senator recalled his visit to the market shortly after the raid, accompanied by former Anambra Governor and Labour Party 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi, as well as other lawmakers. He met with affected traders to assess the impact and urged the authorities to find a balanced solution.
He also appealed to Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo to intervene and mediate a resolution between the federal agency and the traders.
Meanwhile, in a related development, NAFDAC has issued a warning to controversial social media commentator VeryDarkMan (VDM) for what it described as an inciting video encouraging the public to defy regulatory enforcement.
In a statement signed by NAFDAC Director-General Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, the agency accused the influencer of spreading misinformation and potentially violating the Cybercrime Act.
“What this individual has done is to openly tell his audience to defy NAFDAC’s regulatory processes following a national enforcement operation,” the statement read.
NAFDAC explained that recent raids in Onitsha, Aba, and Idumota uncovered fake, expired, and banned drugs valued at over N1 trillion, justifying its actions under the authority of the Office of the National Security Adviser.
Despite NAFDAC’s defense of its operations, pressure is mounting for a fair and transparent review of the sanctions imposed on the traders and for the swift reopening of the Onitsha drug market.
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