The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has accused social media influencer Very Dark Man (VDM) of inciting defiance among traders at the Onitsha Bridge Head Market against federal regulatory measures, following recent crackdowns on open drug markets across Nigeria.
In a statement issued by the agency’s Director General, Mojisola Adeyeye, NAFDAC alleged that the influencer shared videos online encouraging traders to resist the agency’s directives. She warned that such actions could constitute a violation of the Cybercrime Act and called on security agencies to investigate the matter.
NAFDAC recently carried out a series of high-impact enforcement operations between February and March 2025, targeting major open drug markets in Idumota (Lagos), Aba, and Onitsha. During the raids, the agency seized and destroyed banned, expired, and substandard pharmaceutical products estimated to be worth over a trillion Naira.
“These markets were operating without proper registration or adherence to Good Storage and Distribution Practices, creating a serious threat to public health,” Prof. Adeyeye stated.
The Onitsha drug market was reopened on March 9, 2025, following NAFDAC’s regulatory interventions. According to the agency, over 2,500 traders have since complied with its requirements. However, a minority reportedly linked to banned substances have refused to comply and are allegedly collaborating with online influencers to stir public opposition and undermine regulatory enforcement.
“The non-compliant shops are tied to products that are outrightly banned. Those involved in incitement are using social media to shift attention away from their illegal operations and avoid consequences,” the agency said.
NAFDAC reiterated its directive that traders must relocate to designated Coordinated Warehouse Centres (CWCs), which are established to ensure strict oversight of drug distribution and storage.
Adeyeye emphasized that the agency’s actions are part of broader efforts to combat the spread of counterfeit drugs and safeguard public health. She urged law enforcement to take swift action against anyone attempting to obstruct the agency’s mission.
“The merchants of death who endanger lives through counterfeit medicines and contribute to insecurity in our communities will face the full force of the law,” she declared.
She also reaffirmed NAFDAC’s commitment to ensuring that all medical products whether medicines, vaccines, or medical devices meet the highest standards of safety and quality, and called on Nigerians to support the agency’s campaign against fake and substandard drugs.
lies. BIG HUGE GIGANTIC LIES. The market till now is partially open, only to those that can afford to pay a certain amount of money.
So they sieze and destroyed counterfeit drugs. Alright, they did all that without showing us how, where and when they did it. The 700k fee is for what exactly? Does it mean that it’s only Aba, Lagos and Onitsha that drugs are been sold in Nigeria? Why must it be the only One part where some certain people sells drugs it’s affected?
Tomorrow they will tell us to join army while their children is at different parts of abroad studying, then ask us to be the sacrificial lamb to insurgents.
NAFDAC should be ashamed of themselves. VDM in his video did not instigate any defiance, he only asked NAFDAC to charge those whom they claimed were selling fake drugs to court and not seal a whole market. In the video VDM showed a receipt of 700k, allegedly paid to NAFDAC, a blatant corrupt practise. NAFDAC is now shifting the goalpost by painting a new narrative.
Why didn’t you comment on the 700k levy imposed on all the shops to pay before opening their shops?