The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, on Monday, accused a social media influencer, Very Dark Man, VDM, of inciting traders at the Onitsha Bridge Head Market to defy federal regulatory measures following recent raids on open drug markets in Nigeria.
A viral video by influencer Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, VDM, had alleged that NAFDAC demanded N700,000 from shop owner to reopen their shops.
Reacting, the Director General of the Agency, Prof Christiana Adeyeye, in a press statement, warned that the influencer’s actions, which include sharing videos allegedly encouraging non-compliance with NAFDAC’s directives, could constitute a breach of the Cybercrime Act.
However, NAFDAC did not directly address VeryDarkMan’s specific claim, but stressed that traders who complied with regulatory requirements have been permitted to resume business.
The agency said over 2,500 traders in 3,500 shops have started operations since March 9.
Adeyeye further called for public vigilance and urged security agencies to investigate the matter.
NAFDAC recently conducted extensive enforcement operations across major open drug markets in Idumota, Aba, and Onitsha, removing and destroying banned, expired, and substandard narcotics valued at over a trillion Naira.
The raids, conducted between February and March 2025, exposed significant violations of storage and distribution regulations.
“These markets lacked basic registration and compliance with Good Storage and Distribution Practices, posing a grave risk to public health,” she stated.
The Onitsha market, which reopened on March 9, 2025, now hosts over 2,500 traders who have complied with regulatory requirements. However, she disclosed that a few traders with ties to banned narcotics have resisted the agency’s mandate and are allegedly collaborating with influencers to stoke public dissent.
“The remaining non-compliant shops are associated with outrightly banned substances. Those behind this incitement are attempting to divert attention from their illegal activities to evade accountability,” the agency said.
The alleged incitement follows NAFDAC’s directive for traders to relocate to Coordinated Warehouse Centres (CWCs), designed to monitor and regulate drug distribution.
She stressed that these measures are part of efforts to curb the distribution of counterfeit drugs and improve public safety.
Adeyeye called on law enforcement agencies to investigate the influencer’s actions and assured Nigerians of its commitment to safeguarding public health.
“The merchants of death fueling insecurity and peddling fake medicines will face the full wrath of the law,” the agency warned.
She reaffirmed NAFDAC’s mission to ensure that all medicines, vaccines, and medical devices in the country meet stringent safety and quality standards, urging the public to support its efforts against counterfeit drugs.
Source: By Chioma Obinna Vanguard
