23 September 2007
Lagos — Three people who engaged in illegal production of fake and poisonous water for injection drug in Onitsha, Anambra State have been arrested by Regulatory Officer of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
Also, two other culprits connected with the production of packaging materials used for the fake water for injection drug have absconded as NAFDAC swooped on their hide-out located at Niger Layout Industrial Estate, Ogbaru, near Onitsha.
Deputy Director and Head of NAFDAC's Special Zone in Onitsha , Mr. Isaac Oge, who led a combined team of NAFDAC Regulatory officers and Policemen, said over 200,000 of the fake water for injection valued at N2 million have been evacuated from the illegal production premises situated at No. 2 Ezinifite Street , Omogba Phase II, Nkpor, Onitsha in Anambra State .
Mr. Oge stated that the arrest of the three offenders, Mr. Peter Otuome (a trader who owns shop D21 at Onitsha drug market), his sister, Miss Juliet Otuome and worker, Mr. Tochukwu Okwei, came on the heels of a tip-off received by the agency from some concerned members of the public.
He disclosed that the arrested culprits have been handed over to the police for prosecution, just as NAFDAC has begun a manhunt for the two other culprits who took to the heels on sighting officers of the agency.
According to him, the materials (Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) pellets and two machines found at the Ogburu illegal factory and valued at N4million have also been impounded by NAFDAC.
The Deputy Director said the Agency has intensified efforts to track down other hidden illegal drug factories around the popular Onitsha Bridge Head Drug Market and other parts of the country.
Mr. Oge appealed to other patriotic Nigerians to volunteer intelligence information that can help NAFDAC uncover the clandestine illegal drug production outfits across the nation.
It would be recalled that substandard expired and fake drugs worth over N6.5billion were seized and destroyed at Onitsha Bridge Head Drug Market in a six week shop to shop enforcement operation last April.
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