Traders Sue NAFDAC, SON For Onitsha Drug Market Closure, Allege Theft
Four buyers at Ogbo Ogwu Bridge Head Market in Onitsha, Anambra State, have dragged the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Standards Organisation of Nigeria, the NAFDAC Zonal Director, South-East, Dr Martins Iluyomade and the Anambra State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps to a Federal High Court sitting in Awka, over illegal interference of their essential human rights.
The 4 buyers ( candidates ) are Peter Okala, Alhaji Yunusa Tanko, Prof. Samuel Anidike and C.C. Emereonwu, who also are contributors of the United Nigeria Group.
They have, via their counsel, Chibuike Nwabueze (Esq), prayed to the courtroom docket for a few reliefs in opposition to the defendants, insisting that now no longer all of the buyers withinside the marketplace are dealing in counterfeit tablets as claimed through the agency.
The reliefs sought in healthy No PHC/AWK/CS/40/2025, encompass an order of the courtroom docket restraining the respondents, their agents, officers, operatives, and employees from in addition breaking into the candidates ’ stores at Ogbo Ogwu Bridge Head marketplace of their absence with out a legitimate courtroom docket order and seek warrant and confiscating their items and carting them to an unknown vacation spot .
They additionally sought an order of perpetual injunction restraining the respondents, their officers, agents, operatives, and servants from in addition breaking into the candidates ’ stores on the stated marketplace with out a legitimate courtroom docket order and confiscating wares of the candidates to an unknown vacation spot with out a legitimate courtroom docket order and warrant of seek .
They additionally prayed to the courtroom docket for N50 million in opposition to the respondents as exemplary damages and some other N50 million as standard damages in opposition to the respondents due to the moves of the respondents.
Before heading to the courtroom docket , the organization had referred to as a press convention over “the unexpected invasion and sealing of the marketplace with out previous notice” through NAFDAC, describing the motion as barbaric and a denial of essential rights of the citizenry.
They averred that the buyers have incurred over N200 million loss due to the sealing of the marketplace for over 10 days now, thereby forcing the buyers to move hungry, having been rendered jobless through NAFDAC.
They claimed that N500 billion really well worth of products had been carted away through NAFDAC who, in step with them, stormed the marketplace with the fierce searching military, police and different protection businesses operatives and sealed the marketplace .
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