The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has said it has evacuated no fewer than 50 truckloads of counterfeit drugs and recovered dangerous weapons from the Bridge Head Drug Market in Onitsha, Anambra State.

The agency noted that during the ongoing operation, which began on February 10, its security team discovered two rifles, live cartridges, machetes, and other weapons hidden within the market.

The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, described the discovery of the weapons as alarming, saying that it may have been an assassination attempt on the agency’s South-East Zonal Director, Dr. Martins Iluyomade, who routinely holds debriefing sessions at the location.

Adeyeye, who spoke through Iluyomade, revealed that security personnel thwarted two separate attempts by hoodlums to break into storage facilities where the agency had kept seized drugs.

The NAFDAC boss said that two suspects were arrested and are currently assisting with investigations.

Despite resistance from criminal elements, Adeyeye reassured the public that the operation would continue as a national mission to protect public health.

“With the swift intervention of our security team, we recovered daggers, machetes, two rifles, and other weapons. We have also arrested individuals attempting to breach our storage facilities. They are in custody and providing useful information,” she stated.

The NAFDAC boss commended market leaders for their cooperation throughout the exercise and confirmed that some sections of the market would reopen this week.

She also emphasised that the seized counterfeit drugs had been relocated to a secure facility for further action.

The crackdown is part of a nationwide effort to eliminate substandard and falsified medicines from circulation, ensuring that only genuine pharmaceutical products reach consumers.