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In a sharply worded public statement released on Friday, the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), one of Nigeria’s most prominent civil rights and public accountability advocacy groups, has demanded that the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) immediately refund between N3 billion and N3.5 billion it allegedly collected under coercive circumstances from over 3,000 traders at the Onitsha Drug Market.

The group in a statement signed by its principal officers led by its head and criminologist, Emeka Umeagbalasi, insists the refund must be made with an additional 20% interest, describing the entire episode as “a calculated act of extortion under the guise of regulatory enforcement.”

Intersociety, known for its investigative rigor and rooted advocacy for rule of law, public accountability, and civil liberties since 2008, accused NAFDAC of unjustly shutting down the Onitsha Drug Market and forcing traders to pay a series of “extortionist” charges under duress before allowing them to resume operations.

According to sources cited by Intersociety, between 3,500 and 3,800 traders were compelled to make payments as of Thursday, May 29, 2025. These traders, the group asserts, have been kept out of their lawful businesses for over 90 days—a move it denounced as a gross abuse of regulatory power and a form of collective punishment without due process.

The Onitsha Drug Market, Intersociety notes, is a sprawling commercial center hosting about 14,000 individuals, including around 7,000 business owners spread across approximately 5,000 market stalls and packing stores. An additional 7,000 people—comprising apprentices, sales assistants, hawkers, and providers of menial services—rely on the market for their livelihoods.

Intersociety expressed solidarity with what it called the “overwhelming majority” of the traders, noting that more than 90% of them are genuine vendors dealing in legally produced and pharmaceutically certified products, including lifesaving and nutritional supplements. The organization stressed that while it does not support the trade of expired, counterfeit, or substandard drugs, it stands firmly against the blanket criminalization and persecution of lawful traders.

The group chronicled its continued advocacy efforts over the past several months, which included submitting more than ten petitions and several media interventions calling for the immediate reopening of the market and accountability from NAFDAC.

These efforts, according to the organization, were directed to key stakeholders across various levels of government—including the NAFDAC Director General, Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State, the Minister of Health, the Inspector General of Police, the Chief of Army Staff, the Director-General of the Department of State Services, the National Security Adviser, and legislative committees of the National Assembly. Only two of these petitions, the group noted with disappointment, received any meaningful attention: those addressed to the Speaker of the Anambra State House of Assembly, Hon. Afam Ogene, and Senator Tony Nwoye.

Despite receiving at least two separate letters with confirmed proof of delivery, NAFDAC Director General, Professor Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, reportedly ignored the petitions. Intersociety expressed dismay at this silence, noting that the petitions contained “mind-boggling findings” and “far-reaching recommendations” that warranted urgent attention.

The Intersociety also revealed it had closely monitored the agency’s public communications, particularly those of its DG, including a May 26 statement accusing popular social media activist Martins Vincent Otse—widely known as “Very Dark Man”—of colluding with drug counterfeiters and inciting unrest.

According to Intersociety, Professor Adeyeye’s accusations against Otse not only lacked factual basis but amounted to an incitement of state security agencies against a law-abiding citizen. The group condemned her invocation of the Cyberstalking Act, asserting that she falsely accused Otse of violating a law that had already been significantly amended in 2024.

The amendments, Intersociety noted, had removed many of the “draconian” elements previously used as instruments of state repression. The hasty intervention of the Anambra State Police Command in the matter, which Intersociety characterized as partisan, was also sharply criticized.

Professor Adeyeye’s other public statements, especially those issued on May 26 and May 27, were dissected and rejected by Intersociety. While the NAFDAC DG claimed that the market was reopened on March 9, 2025, and that over 2,500 traders had resumed operations after meeting regulatory conditions—including the payment of various administrative fees—the group insisted that these payments were nothing short of extortion.

The so-called administrative fee, initially set at N5 million per unregistered product or brand and later reduced to N200,000, was described as “extortionist,” as was a separate charge of N2 million for alleged violations of Good Storage and Distribution Practices, which was later scaled down to N500,000.

Contrary to NAFDAC’s own account, Intersociety detailed a more extensive fee structure imposed on the traders. Every market store owner was made to pay a N700,000 “Poor Storage Fee,” while packing store owners were charged N200,000. Furthermore, wholesalers dealing in multinational products—including medically critical supplements and body system drugs unregistered with NAFDAC—were made to pay N200,000 per product or brand.

The group provided a breakdown showing that a single trader with seven such products, a packing store, and a market store could end up paying up to N2.3 million. All payments were reportedly funneled through NAFDAC’s Real-Time Gross Settlement-linked account at the Central Bank of Nigeria, under the name “NAFDAC Project TSA,” Account Number 3000063142.

Intersociety went further to allege a litany of grave misconducts and operational irregularities by NAFDAC and its collaborating security agencies at the market. These include unauthorized raids on shops, seizure and confiscation of legitimately procured and certified products worth hundreds of billions of naira, false labeling of the entire market as a hub for fake drugs, and widespread corruption involving the diversion and resale of seized goods.

Additionally, large sums of cash reportedly left behind by fleeing traders were allegedly carted away, and numerous non-drug-related businesses, such as boutiques and eateries, were looted under the pretext of enforcement actions.

The group declared that all these actions constitute serious breaches of public trust and statutory responsibility and called for a sweeping investigation into the agency’s conduct. To ensure transparency and impartiality, Intersociety demanded that NAFDAC’s Director General, its Southeast Director Dr. Martins Iluyomade, and other implicated senior officials step down immediately to allow for unbiased inquiries. It reiterated its call for NAFDAC to refund all extorted funds with 20% interest, insisting that anything short of full restitution would be unacceptable.

In its concluding remarks, Intersociety extended heartfelt commendations to individuals and organizations that have shown solidarity with the affected traders and advocated for justice.

These include social media activist Martins Vincent Otse (Very Dark Man), Mr. Peter Obi, Senator Tony Nwoye, Hon. Afam Ogene, international human rights lawyer Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, and several civil society organizations such as HURIDE, the Unite Nigeria Group, the Anambra branch of the Civil Liberties Organization, and media outlets like Njenje Media TV. The group praised the role of certain market leaders for their intelligence support and acknowledged the contributions of human rights activists Damian Ogudike, Chibueze Nwajiaku, and Chinenye Nwamebe.

Intersociety concluded by urging all parties of conscience not to relent until the Onitsha Drug Market is fully restored, all wrongs are corrected, and those responsible for the extortions and violations are held accountable under the law.