In its continuous push for the re-opening of the Onitsha Drug Market (Ogbogwu Market) and six adjoining others by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, a rights group, the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, Intersociety, has sent different petitions to Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State,
Onitsha markets closure: Intersociety writes Soludo, Army Chief, DSS DG, Reps, others
In its continuous push for the re-opening of the Onitsha Drug Market (Ogbogwu Market) and six adjoining others by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, a rights group, the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, Intersociety, has sent different petitions to Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State, the Chief of Army Staff, the Director General, Department of State Services, DSS, among others.
Intersociety said in a statement on Wednesday that the petitions became imperative owing to what it called the “socio-security consequences awaiting the continuing militarist shutdown of the markets.”
The statement made available to DAILY POST was signed by Chinwe Umeche, Esquire, Head, Democracy and Good Governance Program, International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, Chidinma Evangeline Udegbunam, Esquire, Head, Campaign and Publicity, Obianuju Joy Igboeli, Esquire, Head, Civil Liberties and Rule of Law and Emeka Umeagbalasi, Board Chair.
It said the protest letters were sent to 15 key authorities and persons in Nigeria, calling for immediate re-opening of the affected markets.
According to the statement, the Intersociety’s advocacy letters called for restoration of livelihoods of the affected innocent traders who constitute more than 95% of traders in the affected markets and thorough and conclusive investigations into alleged operational illegalities and corrupt practices by those operationally deployed.
It claimed that 16 alleged operational illegalities and corrupt practices were identified, demanding that “they must thoroughly and conclusively be investigated for purposes of establishing their authenticity or otherwise and holding those involved accountable and avoiding future repetition of the ongoing blundered, procedurally erroneous, militarist and collective punishment operations.”
Apart from Governor Soludo, the protest letter was sent to the Anambra State House of Assembly Speaker, Rt Hon Somtochukwu Udeze, PhD., National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, Inspector General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, PhD., Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Retired DIG Hashimu Argungu, Minister of Interior (Internal Affairs), Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyade and Director General of Department of the State Security Services, DG Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi.
Other recipients are: Minister of Health, Dr Muhammad Ali Pate, Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, Senate Committee Chairman on Healthcare Services, Senator Ipaliba Harry-Banigo, House of Reps Committee Chairperson on NAFDAC, Hon Mrs. Regina Akume, among others.
“The core stakeholders among those written to, were further urged to avoid policies and actions capable of breeding criminalities and criminals of tomorrow, including kidnappers, armed robbers and internet fraudsters.
“They (NAFDAC, Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police Force, Police Service Commission, NSA, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Interior) were called upon to thoroughly and conclusively investigate the collective punishment operations as a whole and alleged operational illegalities and corrupt practices thereto: involving NAFDAC’s operational officials and hired officers and personnel of the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Police Force, with exception of DSS officers and operatives who are exempted until the contrary is established.
“Strong demand was made for detailed and forensic account of estimated more than Twenty (20) 40-Feet Containers of confiscated drugs, composed of licensed local pharmaceutical companies’ produced drugs, NAFDAC-registered but confiscated and carted away drugs, multinational and globally approved but confiscated and carted away drugs; fake, counterfeited, adulterated, expired and substandard drugs, as well as confiscated and carted away illicit hard drugs (Tramadol 200mg, Tramadol 225mg, Codeine, Cocaine and allied others); all said to have valued at nothing less than N400billion; confiscated and carted away in the absence of most, if not all their owners and leaders of the Market including their central and line leaders who were also forced to surrender their market’s main entrance and line keys.
“The Intersociety is further aware of widespread concerns over zero accountability associated with ownership, quantity, quality, whereabouts and safe custody of the confiscated and carted away drugs (licit and illicit).
“The purpose of such detailed and unbiased investigations under our strong demand is therefore to ensure probity and accountability particularly on the status of all drugs, both licit and illicit, seized, confiscated and carted away from Onitsha Drug Market and others.
“All the above must be followed up with an international press conference by NAFDAC and leaders of its hired and drafted soldiers and other security agencies to give graphic account of the ownership of such seized, confiscated and carted away drugs (licit and illicit), locations of their seizure and confiscation and amount they worth.
“NAFDAC must also publicly speak up and address serious concerns by some victim-traders over possible unaccountability of hundreds of millions of naira worth of cash sums left in their shops including those in the Point of Sale (POS) cash transactions, those preserving hard currencies in furtherance of their import and export businesses and those keeping tens of millions of naira in cash for new local purchases and payment for purchased goods; all caught unaware by abrupt shutdown and militarization of the Market and adjoining others since 9th Day of February 2025; a period of three weeks going to thirty days,” the group demanded.
It also said bank accounts of NAFDAC officials and others involved in the operations should be scrutinized.
“The above operational officials, officers and personnel, when properly identified, must have their bank accounts and those of their spouses and grown-up children above 17 Years of Age placed under close digital monitoring for six months using their biometrics including NIN and BVN numbers; to digitally ascertain movement of money that comes in and goes out of their bank accounts.
“Such electronic monitoring is to further ascertain the actual role they played in the Onitsha Drug Market NAFDAC’s militarist and collective punishment operations and ensure that cash sums in their bank accounts tally with their legitimate earnings or remunerations as ‘Serving Civil/Public Servants’.
Efforts must further be made at ensuring that all the legitimately seized, confiscated and carted away prohibited drugs do not corruptly find their way back to fake, substandard, adulterated, counterfeit and expired drug kingpins and allied others,” it advocated.
Onitsha markets closure: Intersociety writes Soludo, Army Chief, DSS DG, Reps, others
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