The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has strongly condemned what it described as inciting and misleading statements made by a social media influencer targeting the federal hovernment’s regulatory enforcement at the Onitsha Bridge Head Market.
The agency maintained that it would allow security agencies to carry out their duties regarding the role played by social media influencer, Very Dark Man (VDM), who accused it of extortion and theft.
VDM had alleged that the agency forced some traders to pay ?700,000 for a service they were unaware of.
He also threatened legal action in the video shared on Instablog9ja’s Instagram page.
However, while urging law-abiding Nigerians to continue with their legitimate businesses, the Director General (DG), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye specifically addressed the role of the social media influencer, saying, What this perpetrator has done is to openly tell his audience to defy the regulatory processes of NAFDAC.
“This follows an enforcement operation carried out under the authority of the Office of the National Security Adviser.”
She said NAFDAC will leave it to law enforcement to determine whether the individual has violated any statutes, especially those related to incitement through digital content.
In a statement on Monday, the DG warned that the content of trending videos by the said influencer, which seek to incite traders at the market against lawful government action, could potentially constitute a breach of the Cybercrime Act.
She was silent on the N700,000 fee the alleged traders were made to pay to the agency
The DG, however, noted that her agency has consequently alerted the public and security agencies to the nature and implications of such incitement.
She recalled the Agency’s recent enforcement actions at three major Open Drug Markets across the country, Idumota (Lagos), Ariaria (Aba), and Bridge Head (Onitsha) where coordinated operations were carried out between February 9 and March 27, 2025, that led to the seizure and destruction of banned, expired, falsified, and substandard narcotic drugs valued at over ?1 trillion.
“These were unregistered, diverted donation drugs, illicit narcotics, and controlled substances stored and distributed in environments that failed to meet even the minimum requirements of Good Storage and Distribution Practices.
“More critically, these premises were unregistered with the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN), in clear contravention of extant federal laws,” she said.
She also emphasized that NAFDAC’s enforcement role is grounded in its mandate as defined by the Act establishing the Agency which includes regulation and control over the importation, exportation, manufacture, advertisement, distribution, sale, and use of regulated products, ranging from drugs and food to cosmetics, medical devices, packaged water, and chemicals.
“As part of this mandate, we conduct routine inspections of production, distribution, and sales outlets of regulated products, as well as post-approval surveillance.
“Our operations are also intelligence-driven, responding to petitions, reports, and complaints from the public,” the DG noted.
She also reminded the public that the Counterfeit and Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods Act (C34) expressly prohibits the sale of drugs in markets, kiosks, motor parks, roadside stalls, and in vehicles, noting that based on this law, its enforcement action at Bridge Head Market was justified and necessary.
According to Adeyeye, due to interventions by state governments, a moratorium was granted to traders to relocate to a Coordinated Wholesale Centre with proper infrastructure for regulated activities.
“The market was reopened on March 9, 2025, and over 2,500 traders occupying 3,500 shops have resumed operations, having complied with the necessary regulatory procedures,” she said.
Clarifying that only a minority of shop owners, those dealing in outrightly banned narcotics have refused to comply, the DG explained that, “According to our database, these defaulters are at the heart of the cartel, and along with their co-conspirators, are now attempting to stoke unrest and shift attention from their crimes.
“These merchants of death, who are fueling insecurity and trafficking in fake medicines, will be identified and prosecuted.
Reaffirming NAFDAC’s mission, the DG said, “We remain committed to ensuring that all medical products, medicines, vaccines, medical devices, and more used in Nigeria are of good quality, safe, and effective.
“These efforts are vital in reducing maternal and child mortality, improving life expectancy, and protecting citizens with chronic illnesses such as hypertension and diabetes.”
“NAFDAC is working firmly within the purview of her mandate”.
