A joint team of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control officials and the Borno State Ministry of Health uncovered several neglected warehouses storing drugs worth millions of naira in Maiduguri’s Gamboru area.
The warehouses, found in isolated and unsafe locations, were used to store drugs damaged by recent floods.
During a raid on Wednesday, the team, led by the Borno State Commissioner of Health, Baba Malam Gana, and NAFDAC’s Director for the North-East, Kenneth Azikiwe, seized the compromised drugs to prevent their sale and distribution.
The raid followed the directive of NAFDAC’s Director General, Prof. Christiana Mojisola Adeyeye, to prevent a public health emergency resulting from the sale of flood-damaged medicines.
While speaking to PUNCH, Azikiwe explained that the mission was to confiscate and destroy drugs that had been affected by the flood, warning that such products were no longer safe for consumption due to their compromised quality.
“We are on an evacuation mission to seize and destroy drugs damaged by the flood in the Gamboru market. These drugs are unsafe for consumption and could pose serious public health risks,” Azikiwe said, calling on the public to report anyone attempting to sun-dry or sell the affected medicines.
The Borno State Commissioner of Health, Baba Malam Gana, emphasized the importance of proper drug storage and noted that the state government would work to ensure that such unsafe practices do not occur again in the Gamboru medicine market.
“Medicines must be stored properly, and we are committed to ensuring that the Gamboru market will not be the same again. We will take immediate action to ensure compliance with safety standards,” Gana stated.
Regarding compensating business owners affected by the seizure of their flood-damaged drugs, Gana assured that the Borno State government, with support from the Federal Government, would assist.
He referenced President Bola Tinubu’s recent visit to Maiduguri, where the President promised to support flood victims, including those in the Gamboru market.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has assured the people of Borno that they will not be left to suffer. Those who lost their businesses, including those in this market, will receive assistance from both the federal and state governments,” Gana said.
The Chairman of the Gamboru Medicine Market, Bukar Modu, expressed the willingness of the market’s leadership to cooperate with the government in ensuring public safety.
He noted that the health of the people remains their top priority and called for financial support to mitigate the impact of the losses.
“We are fully prepared to cooperate with the government’s directives. Our primary concern is the health of our people, and we hope the government will provide us with the necessary financial support after this process,” Modu said.
