The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria has sealed 572 pharmacies and patent medicine stores across Plateau State for violating pharmaceutical regulations, including cooking inside drug outlets, illegal clinical practice, and unauthorized access to controlled medicines.
The Head of Department, Enforcement, Dr. Suleiman S. Chiroma, who spoke on behalf of the Registrar/CEO, Pharm. Ibrahim Babashehu Ahmed, disclosed this at a press conference in Jos on Friday at the end of the enforcement exercise, which lasted four days across the state.
Chiroma said the operation was in line with the Council’s mandate under the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (Establishment) Act No. 31 of 2022.
“The PCN is mandated to regulate and control pharmacy education, training, and practice in all its aspects and ramifications, including Pharmacy Technicians and Patent and Proprietary Medicines Vendors (PPMVs),” Dr. Chiroma stated.
He explained that the crackdown was part of efforts to enforce the National Drug Distribution Guidelines (NDDG), developed by the Federal Government to fix Nigeria’s “chaotic drug distribution system.”
“The major goal of the NDDG is to ensure drug distribution through approved channels, from the point of manufacture or importation to the end user,” he said. “The ongoing enforcement initiative is systematically disengaging non-professional actors from the pharmaceutical supply chain and remedying deficiencies in storage infrastructure. This intervention is fundamental to the eradication of substandard and falsified medicinal products.”
According to him, the Registrar, Pharm. Ibrahim Babashehu Ahmed, “hereby reaffirms the Council’s resolute commitment to the advancement of critical health sector reforms in furtherance of Universal Health Coverage for all Nigerians. The availability of safe and quality medicines remains indispensable to the delivery of effective healthcare services.”
The enforcement team covered Jos South, Jos North, Mangu, Shendam, Barkin Ladi, Qua’an Pan, and Bassa Local Government Areas. A total of 778 premises were inspected, comprising 199 pharmacies, 499 patent medicine stores, and 80 illegal outlets.
“Consequently, 572 premises were sealed, including 120 pharmacies, 372 patent medicine stores, and 80 illegal outlets. In addition, five compliance directives were issued,” Dr. Chiroma said.
He described the findings as “deeply concerning,” noting that “of the 199 pharmacies visited, 60 percent were sealed. This finding reflects a deeply concerning standard of pharmaceutical practice within the state and underscores the need for the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria to intensify its regulatory efforts in Plateau State.”
The PCN also flagged the dominance of unqualified outlets. “It was further observed that only 26 percent of the total premises inspected across the state were pharmacies, while the remainder comprised Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendors (PPMVs) and illegally operated outlets.”
Infractions uncovered during the exercise included “the unacceptable practice of cooking within pharmaceutical and patent medicine premises, widespread unauthorized clinical practice, unlawful storage and dispensing of medicines beyond the approved legal scope, unauthorized access to poison cupboards by non-pharmacists, and the illegal operation of several premises, particularly by prospective vendors.”
Dr. Chiroma warned of the broader danger: “Such practices pose grave risks to public health and national security, as controlled medicines may be diverted into the hands of criminal elements and insurgents.”
Other documented violations were “failure to produce valid licences or evidence of registration upon lawful demand,” “operating illegal premises,” and “wilful obstruction of duly authorized pharmaceutical inspectors from discharging their duties.”
Despite the high number of closures, the Council said illegal operations were relatively low. “Of the 778 premises visited, 10 percent were operating illegally, and these accounted for 14 percent of all premises sealed during the exercise. This indicates a relatively low prevalence of illegal premises in Plateau State.”
However, compliance among registered pharmacies remained poor. “Only 40 percent of the pharmacies inspected were in good standing, a figure that remains unsatisfactory. A significant number of pharmacies were found to have incomplete registration status.”
Dr. Chiroma stressed that the PCN “remains unwavering in its statutory mandate to safeguard integrity within the pharmaceutical practice environment. All premises engaged in the handling of medicines shall be subject to rigorous and sustained regulatory oversight.”
He added: “Every Nigerian is entitled to access safe, quality-assured medicines dispensed solely by duly trained and licensed professionals. The Council shall remain unrelenting in exercising the full weight of its regulatory authority against any person or entity found in violation of the law.”
The Council thanked residents for their cooperation: “The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria expresses its profound appreciation to the people of Plateau State for the warm reception and steadfast support extended to its enforcement team throughout this exercise. Your cooperation has been vital to safeguarding public health.”
It urged the public to “purchase medicines exclusively from PCN-approved and licensed premises, identifiable by a valid PCN licence displayed on site. Together, we will ensure Nigerians have access to safe, quality medicines.”