The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has warned against attack or obstruction of duty while its personnel are carrying out enforcement operations against substandard drugs and falsified goods.
The warning was given by the Director of Investigation and Enforcement, NAFDAC, Mr Shaba Mohammed, during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday in Abuja.
He explained that the warning became necessary following an attack on its enforcement team by drug hawkers and touts in February.
Mohammed, who is also the Chairman, Federal Task Force on Fake and Counterfeit Products, said some of those involved in the attack were facing trial before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja, adding that the arraignment would serve as a deterrent to those with similar intention.
He added, “Those arraigned recently in the court are part of those who attacked NAFDAC officials while on enforcement duty some months ago.
“Arraigning them in court is to pay for their sins, this is also to advise the public to desist from attacking NAFDAC staff while on duty’’, he said.
“I will not say there are no counterfeit products in circulation. But such products are brought into the country by unscrupulous elements who do not mean well for the country.”
The NADAC director said criminals who bring in counterfeit drugs use hawkers to push them into circulation, adding that NAFDAC will not stop arresting hawkers until the whole system becomes sanitised.
Mohammed said arresting the hawkers would help NAFDAC to track the sources of counterfeit products whether imported or locally produced.
“The public should support NAFDAC to sanitise the system. Anyone caught in such an act will be prosecuted thoroughly because that is obstruction of the Federal Government team in performing its jobs.
“Sales of drugs in marketplaces, hawking or in moving vehicle is actually prohibited by NAFDAC law.
“This is regarded as a criminal act and that is why we are prosecuting those that have committed the crime against the NAFDAC act,” he said.
Mohammed said as the director of Investigation and Enforcement in NAFDAC, he would work closely with the Federal Task Force, which is made up of other related agencies to rid the country of counterfeit drugs and goods.
He listed some of the organisations to be inaugurated as part of the team to include the Pharmacist Council of Nigeria, and Customs Service, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Council.
According to him, one of the strategies the task force would deploy to curb fake drugs is the manning of point of entry into the country to intercept all counterfeit products.
He added, “We will also be using Post Marketing Surveillance, whose officials would function like undercover agents.”
(NAN)
