The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has destroyed 80 tonnes of illicit, counterfeit, expired, and substandard drugs and chemicals as well as substandard food items seized from seven Northwestern st\ates.
The destruction was carried out in Kano State in the presence of security agencies and the media.
Officials of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control set fire to seized illicit, expired, and counterfeit drugs and substandard food items, causing a thick gray smoke to swirl around the sky.
Every year, NAFDAC officials destroy drugs and chemicals confiscated across the country for safety.
At Hauren Kalibawa, security operatives join NAFDAC in the exercise of destroying the products seized from 7 Northwestern states.
The destroyed items are estimated to be worth N500 million.
NAFDAC would extend the annual destruction exercise to other parts of the country.
Officials thank the people involved and the security agents for their help and affirm that the agency will continue to punish those who break the rules.
They are hopeful that such destructions would sanitize the country by removing counterfeit, expired products, and other unregulated products from circulation.
The National Agency for Food Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has been at the forefront of the fight against Fake, sub-standard, Counterfeit and expired medical products in Nigeria especially since the return of Democracy in 1999.
The Agency came to the fore especially under the leadership of the late Professor Dora Akunyili, whose fight against drug counterfeiters almost led to her death.
The agency has also put in place measures to test the authenticity of drugs without the need to go to a laboratory through the use of Text messages.
The Agency has since been after fake, expired, Counterfeit and sub-standard product which has claimed lives in hospitals due to the level of their efficacy, this destruction of the Drugs will ensure that Nigerians are kept safe.