 has uncovered an illegal operation in Azagba-Ogwashi, Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State, where a couple was found repackaging and relabelling expired injectable drugs inside an uncompleted building.){kind=link}
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has uncovered an illegal operation in Azagba-Ogwashi, Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State, where a couple was found repackaging and relabelling expired injectable drugs inside an uncompleted building.
Among the recovered items were expired gentamicin 280mg—a drug banned over a decade ago—chloroquine phosphate 332mg/5mg, ergometrine injections, and several other unidentified injectables wrapped in foil.
Mr. Babatunji Omoyeni, Deputy Director of NAFDAC’s Investigation and Enforcement Federal Task Force for the South-South and South-East, confirmed the discovery.
He revealed that some of the expired drugs dated as far back as 2018.
The suspect’s wife was apprehended at the scene and is currently in custody.
Briefing journalists in Asaba, Omoyeni explained that operatives acted swiftly on a tip-off, raiding the premises, which appeared at first glance to be a residential building.
“The building looked ordinary, with children playing and the woman braiding hair with a friend. But hidden beneath chairs and inside rooms were wrappers containing expired injectables,” he said.
He added that some young men seen at the location fled by jumping the fence as NAFDAC operatives arrived. Investigators also found a 100-litre drum containing chemicals used to erase expiration dates from vials.
These vials were then cleaned, re-labelled with false dates, rebranded, and packaged for sale—allegedly being sent to the Ogbogwu drug market in Onitsha.
Dr. Martins A. Iluyomade, NAFDAC Director for the South-East Zone, condemned the act, describing it as more dangerous than terrorism.
“This is worse than Boko Haram,” he stated. “Using chemicals to wipe off expired labels and selling these injectables to the public is not just illegal—it’s deadly.”
He warned that such practices pose severe health risks, stressing that mislabeled and expired drugs could lead to treatment failures and worsening medical conditions, as patients are unknowingly injected with ineffective or dangerous substances.