By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), on Wednesday, said it has recovered two riffles, live cartilages, matchete and other weapons hidden by unknown persons at the Drug Market, Bridge Head, Onitsha, in Anambra State.

The discovery is coming on the heels of an ongoing clampdown by the agency on fake and counterfeit drugs.

Recall that the team, in its drive to sanitize the drug market of fake and adulterated drugs, has been stationed in the market since February 10, 2025, and also shutting it down.

Disclosing this to journalists in Onitsha, the Director General of NAFDAC, Professor Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, expressed surprise over the discovery, saying that it is as an assassination attempt on Dr. Martins Iluyomade, the agency?s director in the South-East zone, who she noted usually conducted debriefing at that particular spot daily.

Adeyeye, who was represented by Iluyomade, added that their security team equally foiled two attempts made by some hoodlums who attempted to gain entrance to the stores where they parked seized drugs at Onitsha.

She added that two suspects were caught in connection with trying to gain entrance into the promises where the seized drugs were packed.

While giving assurance that the exercise would not be brought to an end abruptly, Adeyeye explained that the operation is not targeted at any person or groups but a national assignment for the general good of the populace.

She said: "With prompt interventions of our security, we saw and recovered dagger, machetes, two guns and rifles.

"All other nights, we have arrested people who try to break in and do one thing or another in this market. They are in the custody and volunteering useful information.

"I commend the leadership of the markets for working with NAFDAC team throughout the period of the operations. I assure you that some sections of the market would be reopened this week as we begin the next aspect of the exercise

"No less than fifty trailer loads of counterfeit and substandard drugs discovered in the market have been shifted to safer place for further action."