Winifred Bosa.

The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has destroyed eleven containers of fake drugs worth over nine billion naira.

The destruction of the counterfeit drugs was supervised by the Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewale at NAFDAC dump site in Igwuruta, Rivers state.

Adewale said the fake drugs were mainly pain killers and breast enhancement drugs capable of destroying human lives.

He said the use the fake drugs may kill many ignorant citizens if it had infilterated into the Nigerian market.

He said, “It is very unfortunate that people produced such magnitude of substandard products and send into a country.

“On close check we discovered that the counterfeit drugs are mostly pain killers and breast enhancing drugs. If they had gotten into our markets many people would have died as a result of taking these drugs.

“We commend the Nigerian Customs Service for being proactive in achieving this feat.”

On her part , Acting Director-General of NAFDAC, Yetunde Oni described the seizure as the biggest in recent times.

Oni said the eleven containers of drugs were seized over one year ago at the Onne Port with the aid of officials of the Nigerian Custom Service.

In the meantime, the Nigerian Custom Service, Zone C Port Harcourt, Sanusi Umar disclosed that some of the importers of the substandard drugs have been arrested and charged to court.

Umar called for the assistance of the general public in arresting those dealing in fake products.

The Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewale commissioned NAFDAC’s South South Zonal office in Port Harcourt.