NAFDAC Shuts Down Borno Drug Market as Contaminated Medicines Resurface After Flood
By Matthew Eloyi
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has ordered the immediate closure of the Gomboru drug market in Maiduguri, Borno State after it was discovered that contaminated drugs were being washed and sun-dried for resale following a devastating flood.
In a post on its X handle, NAFDAC explained that the market was submerged by the recent flooding, which rendered the drugs unsafe for consumption.
“After the recent flooding in Maiduguri that submerged the Gomboru drug market, where contaminated drugs were washed and sun-dried for resale, the @DGatNAFDAC ordered the immediate closure of the market to conduct a thorough shop-to-shop removal of these compromised drugs,” the agency stated.
The flooding crisis was triggered by the rupture of the Alau Dam on the Ngadda River, located 20 kilometres south of Maiduguri, resulting in widespread devastation across the city.
At least 30 people lost their lives, while 400,000 others were displaced, according to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
“The death toll is 30,” said NEMA spokesman Ezekiel Manzo, a day after the overflowing dam swept away thousands of homes in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State.
His colleague, Zubaida Umar, added, “The situation in Maiduguri is quite frightening. The flood has taken over around 40 per cent of the entire city. People have been forced out of their homes and are scattered everywhere.”
NEMA estimates that approximately 414,000 people have been displaced by the floodwaters, with officials warning that the number could rise to one million.
Over 23,000 households and 150,000 individuals have been severely affected by the disaster, NEMA reported.
Further compounding the chaos, at least 286 inmates escaped from the Maiduguri Medium Security Custodial Centre during the flooding.
In addition, 80 per cent of the animals in the Maiduguri zoo perished, with the remaining 20 per cent escaping into the city.