The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) has sealed 383 pharmaceutical premises across Ogun State for violating regulatory standards, warning that the proliferation of illegal drug outlets poses a serious threat to public health and national security.
The Head of the Council’s Enforcement Department, Suleiman Chiroma, disclosed this on Friday during a press conference in Abeokuta, where he presented the outcome of a four-day enforcement operation carried out across the state.
According to Chiroma, the exercise was conducted on the directive of the Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Council, Pharm. Ibrahim Babashehu Ahmed, and covered 11 local government areas.
He said a total of 738 pharmaceutical premises were inspected, comprising 277 pharmacies, 288 Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendor (PPMV) stores, and 173 unregistered or illegal outlets.
“At the end of the exercise, 383 premises were sealed for various offences. These comprised 123 pharmacies, 87 Patent Medicine Stores and all the 173 illegal premises identified during the operation. In addition, three compliance directives were issued,” 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.
Chiroma identified the major violations recorded during the operation to include operating without a valid Pharmacy Council of Nigeria licence, poor storage conditions, unauthorised access to controlled medicines, obstruction of inspectors, cooking within pharmaceutical premises, and the illegal training of apprentices.
He warned that such practices endanger lives and undermine Nigeria’s regulated drug distribution system.
“These practices pose a grave threat to public health and constitute risks to national security through the potential diversion of controlled medicines into criminal networks.
“Dispensing medicines by untrained individuals and improper storage of medicines contribute directly to treatment failure, antimicrobial resistance and avoidable deaths. These outcomes increase the cost of care for patients and weaken public trust in the health system,” he said.
Chiroma explained that the enforcement exercise was carried out under the provisions of the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (Establishment) Act, 2022, which empowers the Council to regulate pharmacy practice and license pharmaceutical premises nationwide.
He disclosed that 23 per cent of all premises inspected were operating illegally, with most of the unregistered outlets located outside the Abeokuta metropolis.
“Illegal premises accounted for 45 per cent of all facilities sealed for one or more regulatory breaches. In accordance with the provisions of the law, 100 per cent of the illegal premises identified during the exercise were sealed,” he stated.
The enforcement chief further revealed that only 56 per cent of the pharmacies inspected fully complied with regulatory standards, while 70 per cent of Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendor outlets met the required compliance level.
He urged Nigerians to purchase medicines only from pharmaceutical premises licensed by the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria, noting that genuine facilities prominently display valid PCN licences.
Chiroma reaffirmed the Council’s commitment to sustained enforcement of pharmaceutical regulations, stressing that operators found violating existing laws would continue to face appropriate sanctions.
The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria is the statutory agency responsible for regulating pharmacy education, professional practice and the distribution of medicines across the country.
In recent years, the Council has intensified enforcement operations against unregistered drug outlets amid growing concerns over fake and substandard medicines, the misuse of controlled drugs, and the involvement of unqualified individuals in the sale and dispensing of medicines. It has consistently warned that unregulated drug markets contribute to medication errors, antimicrobial resistance and poor treatment outcomes, while urging Nigerians to patronise only licensed pharmaceutical premises.