A young entrepreneur from Anambra State, Ms. Sophia Eberechukwu Okoye, has reportedly lost goods worth over N15 million after her boutique was looted by suspected soldiers accompanying the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) during a raid at the Onitsha Drug Market.
Okoye’s boutique, which she had opened just a few months earlier, was among dozens of shops allegedly broken into and ransacked during the operation.
According to SaharaReporters, it was learnt that the looters carted away clothes, shoes, and other valuable items from the shop, leaving Okoye and other affected traders counting their losses.
“The shop was discovered 24 hours after NAFDAC withdrew its soldiers on March 7, 2025,” a human rights organisation, International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), told SaharaReporters.
“Evidence, including video clips and CCTV footage, links NAFDAC to the looting. The agency’s break-in and ransacking of the shop were even sealed with NAFDAC’s insignia.”
Items stolen from Ms. Okoye’s boutique included Turkish clothing, Chinese jeans, up-and-down trousers, and Italian sandals, with an estimated value exceeding N15 million, SaharaReporters has learned. This incident adds to growing concerns about NAFDAC’s operations in the Onitsha Drug Market.
In video clips shared with SaharaReporters on Wednesday, Ms. Okoye was seen crying uncontrollably as she showed her empty shop, stripped bare with nothing left behind.
“What is the connection between a boutique and drugs that warranted NAFDAC agents to loot my shop?” she cried. “This is where I make my living. I’m not selling drugs. I borrowed money for this business — why has NAFDAC brought death and sorrow to my household? The government should come to my aid before death visits me,” she lamented in tears.
Chief Emeka Umeagbalasi, Board Chair of Intersociety, speaking on behalf of the victim, told SaharaReporters that Ms. Sophia Eberechukwu Okoye opened her boutique in the last quarter of 2024 at IBESON Line, located between the Plumbing Materials and Ogbogwu Market.
“Her boutique, along with dozens of other non-drug shops, including food vendors’ stalls, was broken into, ransacked, and looted by suspected Hausa-Fulani soldiers of the Nigerian Army deployed by NAFDAC,” Umeagbalasi said.
He explained that the boutique, along with other affected shops, was allegedly looted during the NAFDAC-led raid and was discovered empty 24 hours after NAFDAC withdrew its soldiers on Friday, March 7, 2025.
“At the end of the looting, clothing items including trousers, kickers, caps, stockings, and shoes valued at over N15 million were stolen,” Umeagbalasi added.
Ms. Okoye’s shop was reportedly left in disarray after the looting, as seen in the video clips.
“There was clear evidence of NAFDAC’s break-in and ransacking of the shop, which was later sealed with NAFDAC’s insignia still pasted on the entrance to this day,” Umeagbalasi said.
A detailed list of the items reported to have been stolen includes: “56 pieces of Turkey wears at N38,000 each, 32 pieces of quality China jeans at N27,000 each, 16 pieces of up-and-down trousers at N45,000, 12 pieces of up-and-down short knickers at N36,000, 20 pieces of plain trousers and chinos at N35,000, 32 pieces of turkey shirts at N36,000 each.
“Others are 17 pieces of quality belts at N18,000, 12 pieces of London packet pants at N12,000, 53 pieces of quality China polos at N18,000, 18 pieces of Turkey Polos at N25,000, 23 pieces of quality singlets at N12,000, 24 pieces of quality caps at N12,000, 18 pieces of Italian sandals at N75,000, 11 pieces of quality China slippers at N42,000, 53 pieces of boxers at N17,000, 22 pieces of stock short jeans at N25,000, 17 pieces of quality stock short jeans at N30,000, 13 pieces of quality knickers at N18,000, 18 pieces of stock vintage shirts at N20,000, 13 pieces of joggers at N26,000 and 13 pieces of Turkey vintage at N30,000, among other items; all valued at over N15m.”
VIDEO: Boutique Owner Alleges N15Million Worth Of Goods Looted During NAFDAC Raid On Onitsha Market | Sahara Reporters https://t.co/OXrzPQoHOt pic.twitter.com/ag8feHdHZn
— Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) March 26, 2025
Traders have also accused NAFDAC of demanding hefty fines and requiring a payment of N2 million for profiling before allowing them to reopen their shops. Some traders alleged that they were pressured to pay bribes to NAFDAC officials to prevent their shops from being sealed.
Intersociety has called for an investigation into allegations of looting and extortion, as well as the removal of Col. Adamu Mohammad, the Onitsha 302 Army Cantonment Commandant, who has been accused of complicity in the looting.
The Onitsha Drug Market has been a hub of commercial activity for decades, with thousands of traders relying on the market for their livelihood. However, the market has been plagued by controversy in recent months, with traders accusing NAFDAC of harassment and extortion.
In February 2025, NAFDAC initiated a significant enforcement operation at the Ọgbọ Ọgwụ drug market in Onitsha, Anambra State. This action was part of a broader effort to eradicate counterfeit, substandard, and expired medications from circulation.
During the raid, NAFDAC officials confiscated a vast array of illicit pharmaceutical products, including banned substances such as Analgin, high-dose Tramadol (above 100 mg), and Codeine. The agency reported seizing over 50 trailer loads of these unauthorised drugs, highlighting the alarming scale of the issue.
The operation also uncovered poor storage conditions within the market, which compromised the integrity of legitimate medicines. Additionally, NAFDAC’s security team discovered weapons, including rifles and machetes, concealed within the market premises, suggesting potential threats to enforcement personnel.
Following the month-long closure and subsequent sanitisation efforts, NAFDAC reopened the Onitsha drug market on March 6, 2025.
Shop owners, particularly the approximately 4,000 who were profiled and suspended, were required to individually clear themselves with NAFDAC before resuming business operations.
