By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

A civil rights group, Civil Liberty Organisation, (CLO) has appealed to President Bola Tinubu, and the Health Minister, Dr. Muhammad Ali Pate to order the re-opening of Ogbo Ogwu and adjoining markets at Bridge Head Onitsha shutdown by NAFDAC over purported buying and selling of fake, expired, adulterated and substandard drugs in the markets.

Recall that CLO has been in the vanguard of advocating for sanitizing, discouraging and curtailing the buying and selling of illicit and fake drugs.

The group In a statement made available to News Express said it will continue to support laudable relentless efforts of government and its agencies towards eradicating and eliminating such act in other to save lives of unsuspecting public in tandem with extant law.

The statement read In part, ?It is an anathema and antithetical to natural justice, good conscience and morality to punish the innocent with the guilty ones.

,?We appeal to His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as democrat, father of the nation and Hon. Minister for Health Dr. Muhammad Pate to prevail on NAFDAC officials to forensically fish out those buying and selling illegitimate drugs and let made them face the full wrath of the law and allow the innocent ones to continue in their legitimate business.:

The group regretted that information at its disposable indicated that nearly 95 percent of the affected traders were doing legitimate business and are law abiding, saying, ?They are mostly breadwinners of their respective families, as such lives and education of their children are now in great jeopardy.

The statement signed by Comrades Vincent Ezekwueme Chairman and Comrade Damian Oguike and Tagged ?Think about millions of people who died because democracy reacted too late to evils of oppression, injustice, man?s inhumanity against man and bad governance? called on President Tinubu to urgently intervene and rescue the pathetic and despicable situation and save the lives of the affected traders, families and their loved ones by ordering for urgent and immediate reopening of the affected markets.

?According to Pope Francis ?when one suffers directly everyone suffers indirectly? in addition to postulation of Rev. Martin Luther king Jr ?whatever that affects one directly, affects all indirectly.

?Let us always do things right as there are other adjoining six markets not linked to or dealing with drugs that were shut down and owners of shops designated for search supposed to be there to take inventory of items confiscated.?

It further called for the urgent and immediate reopening of the markets, saying that it will help to ameliorate the excruciating sufferings, agony, plights and predicaments of those affected including their families, servants and dependents.

It observed that some of the affected traders depend on friends and relatives to eat, noting that most of their children are now out of school due to their Inability to pay school fees, following the closure of their only source of livelihood.

The Anambra State chapter of the CLO further called for the payment of adequate compensations to traders whose shops were erroneously closed and those who projected their products as being genuine and properly registered by NAFDAC.

It added: ?Continued closure of the markets will exacerbate health challenges confronting the nation as prices of drugs has skyrocketed astrologically.?