The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) has sealed 383 pharmaceutical premises across Ogun State for regulatory violations, including operating without valid licences, poor storage of medicines and running illegal drug outlets.
The enforcement exercise, conducted across 11 local government areas, formed part of the Council’s ongoing efforts to sanitise Nigeria’s drug distribution system and strengthen compliance with pharmaceutical regulations.
Speaking at a press conference in Abeokuta on Friday, the Head of the PCN Enforcement Department, Dr Suleiman Chiroma, said the operation was carried out on the directive of the Council’s Registrar and Chief Executive Officer, Pharm. Ibrahim Babashehu Ahmed, in line with the provisions of the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (Establishment) Act, 2022.
According to Chiroma, inspectors visited 738 pharmaceutical premises, comprising 277 pharmacies, 288 Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendor (PPMV) stores and 173 illegal or unregistered outlets.
At the end of the exercise, 383 premises were sealed, including 123 pharmacies, 87 Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendor stores and all 173 illegal outlets. The Council also issued three compliance directives to operators found to have committed minor regulatory infractions.
Chiroma said the operation was aimed at enforcing compliance with the National Drug Distribution Guidelines (NDDG), which seek to eliminate open drug markets and establish an organised and regulated medicine distribution system nationwide.
“The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria is statutorily mandated to regulate and control the practice of pharmacy in all its aspects, including the registration and licensing of pharmaceutical premises. No pharmaceutical premises is permitted to operate without registration and a valid licence issued by the Council,” he said.
He explained that the guidelines permit the distribution of medicines only through licensed manufacturers, importers, Coordinated Wholesale Centres, Mega Drug Distribution Centres, State Drug Distribution Centres, wholesalers, retail pharmacies and licensed Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendors.
Chiroma warned that illegal medicine outlets undermine the country’s drug regulatory framework by creating channels through which substandard, falsified and diverted medicines reach unsuspecting members of the public.
“Illegal premises, operating under any guise, constitute a direct affront to the country’s drug regulatory framework. Their activities create conduits through which substandard, falsified and diverted medicines gain access to the public, thereby undermining the objectives of the National Drug Distribution Guidelines,” he said.
The enforcement exercise covered Abeokuta South, Abeokuta North, Odeda, Obafemi-Owode, Ifo, Ado-Odo/Ota, Sagamu, Ijebu-Ode, Ikenne, Ijebu North-East and Ewekoro local government areas.
Providing a breakdown of the findings, Chiroma disclosed that 23 per cent of the premises inspected were operating illegally, with most of the unregistered facilities located outside Abeokuta metropolis.
He noted that illegal premises accounted for 45 per cent of all facilities sealed during the operation, highlighting the need for increased regulatory oversight in rural communities.
Among licensed operators, he said, only 56 per cent of pharmacies fully complied with regulatory standards, while 70 per cent of Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendor outlets met the required standards.
The enforcement team identified several violations, including operating without valid PCN licences, poor storage conditions for medicines, unauthorised access to controlled medicines, obstruction of inspectors, cooking within pharmaceutical premises and the illegal training of apprentices.
Chiroma warned that such practices posed serious risks to public health, contributing to treatment failure, antimicrobial resistance and avoidable deaths, while also increasing healthcare costs and eroding public confidence in the health system.
He further cautioned that uncontrolled access to regulated medicines could facilitate their diversion into criminal networks.
Reaffirming the Council’s commitment to strengthening regulation in the pharmaceutical sector, Chiroma said the PCN would sustain nationwide inspections and take firm enforcement action against violators.
He also urged Nigerians to purchase medicines only from pharmaceutical premises licensed by the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria, noting that legitimate facilities prominently display valid and current PCN licences.
