The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says it has in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, dismantled a fake drug syndicate operating as fraudulent healthcare providers in the Abuloma area.
The illicit operation involved the distribution of counterfeit and unregistered medications, including tablets and eye drops.
Chukwuma Oligbu, NAFDAC’s South-South Zone Director, informed reporters in Port Harcourt on Monday that the agency apprehended one Gladys Theophilus, who was apparently administering the fake products.
Oligbu explained that the arrest was made possible by information received from concerned members of the public regarding suspicious activities at a local town hall. This tip led to a raid conducted last Friday.
He further stated that the confiscated products, falsely advertised as treatments for various illnesses, lacked essential NAFDAC registration numbers and manufacturer details.
He said: “The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has uncovered the activities of some unscrupulous elements posing as missionaries/free healthcare givers at Community Town Hall Abuloma, Port Harcourt LGA.
“The discovery followed a tip off by a public spirited individual that some fake health caregivers using evangelism as a cover are giving unsuspecting members of the public fake/unregistered eye drops, bottled water, cleansers, tablets etc.
“The unregistered products include: evangelist Jenkins’ supernatural water, evangelist Jenkins’ cleanser, evangelist Jenkins’ eyes drop.These products are purported to treat Goiter, Cancer, Pile, Arthritis, rashes, Fibroids, Cataracts and Glaucoma. The list is limitless.
“It was gathered that some persons that used the eyes drop got their eyes swollen while the fake doctor that is on the run will assure them that the swollen eye is a sign that the drug is working, while assuring them that the impurities in their eyes will be washed out as mucus and liquid comes out of their eyes.
“When the NAFDAC team, led by the State Coordinator, Emmanuel Onogwu, stormed the town hall located at Jetty Road, Abuloma, they met a woman administering their fake drugs to some persons waiting in turns.
“The middle-aged woman, Gladies Theophilus, who was attending to unsuspecting victims, was arrested while the fake doctor claimed to be outside the state when he was contacted on the phone.The fake products were eventually evacuated to the NAFDAC Zonal Office at Woji Road, GRA Phase 2, while investigations are ongoing.”
On Theophilus’s fate, Oligbu said: “She will be charged to court. Efforts are underway to apprehend other members of the syndicate who are still at large.
“I hereby warn the general public to beware of these unscrupulous elements claiming to be evangelists and selling concoctions in the name of medicine to unsuspecting members of the public.
“Their products are not registered or verified by any government body. Anybody patronising them is doing so at his or her own peril.”
Oligbu reiterated NAFDAC’s zero-tolerance policy for fake and counterfeit drugs, urging the public to promptly report any suspected fake healthcare providers for immediate action.
“We (NAFDAC) continuously pledge our commitment to safeguarding the health of the nation.”
The agency recorded a successful 2024 by destroying N120 billion worth of seized counterfeit products in the last six months.
Persecondnews recalls that NAFDAC had also launched a series of raids on supermarkets in major cities like Lagos, Port Harcourt, Aba, Ibadan, Kaduna, and the Federal Capital Territory, specifically targeting manufacturers and sellers of counterfeit medicines and unhealthy food products.
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