By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

A rights group, International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has dismissed claims by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) that the drug market at head bridge has been reopened for business as false, saying that the market has remained shut.

Intersociety made the declaration in a statement issued in Onitsha, Eastern Nigeria, yesterday, Sunday, March 9, 2025, signed by Board Chair Emeka Umeagbalasi; Head, Democracy and Good Governance Program, Chinwe Umeche Esquire; Head, Campaign and Publicity, Chidinma Evangeline Udegbunam Esquire; and Head, Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, Obianuju Joy Igboeli Esquire.

The group in the statement regretted that despite the claims of reopening the market for business, that the market is not only shut, but is also heavily policed by armed military men numbering over a dozen.

It accused NAFDAC of coming to equity with unclean hands.

The statement partly reads: “NAFDAC has continued to go to equity with unclean hands in its ongoing militarist and collective punishment operations in the Onitsha Drug Market, which was shut and kept under lock and keys since Sunday, February 9, 2025.

“NAFDAC-issued and widely circulated media reports that the Onitsha Drug Market has been unsealed and re-opened for business, with effect from Friday, March 7, 2025, but the Drug Market has remained sealed and under lock and keys till date.

“Our checks as of Saturday, March 8, 2025 showed that the six affected adjoining markets were conditionally re-opened on Friday, March 7, 2025, as against Onitsha Drug Market which remains under lock and keys and situation of militarization with over a dozen armed soldiers of the Nigerian Army and their patrol vans and armored personnel vehicle as of this day of Sunday, March 9, 2025.”

“We condemn the misinformation. The false claims not only add to the long list of NAFDAC’s operational illegalities in the Onitsha Drug Market and six other adjoining others, but also exposes the Agency as having failed woefully to go to equity with clean hands.”

Intersociety further condemned the agency for deliberately misinforming and misleading members of the Nigerian public and generality of the world to the effect that the Onitsha Drug Market has been unsealed and re-opened for business, with effect from Friday, March 7, 2025 and more so, its attempts to criminalize the Onitsha Drug Market, its members and leadership by publicly portraying it as a den of fake and illicit drug dealers, assassins and vendors of illicit small arms, light weapons and their ammunition.