A human rights group, International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, also known as INTERSOCIETY has petitioned the Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, the speaker of the state House of assembly , Rt. Hon. Somtochukwu Udeze, over the continued closure of the Onitsha Bridge Head Drug Market.
The market has remained under lock and keys for two weeks, since after officials of the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) raided the market for fake, expired, substandard and other illicit drugs.
Reacting to the closure, INTERSOCIETY had condemned the blanket closure of the market, which has thrown traders in the market, including genuine ones into penury.
In a petition dated February 26, which was sent to the governor, speaker of the state assembly, NAFDAC DG, minister of health, DSS DG among others, the group called for immediate reopening of the market.
The petition which was also copied to Army Chief Of Staff, Senate Committee Chairman On Health, House Of Reps Committee Chairperson On NAFDAC called for the monitoring of the seized products to avoid them finding their way back into the market, and the monitoring of the bank accounts of the officials involved.
Part of the petition titled Campaign For Re-Opening Of Onitsha Drug Market read: “We call for urgent intervention and well-coordinated joint efforts for purpose of immediate re-opening of the Onitsha Drug (Ogbogwu) Market and six adjoining others and restoration of livelihoods of the affected innocent traders and tens of thousands of their dependents.
“The core stakeholders written to must avoid policies and actions capable of breeding criminalities and criminals of tomorrow including kidnappers, armed robbers and internet fraudsters.
“NAFDAC and its hired coercive establishments and their constitutional oversight bodies are called upon to identify all those involved in the ongoing NAFDAC’s militarist and collective punishment operations in Onitsha, when properly identified, must have their bank accounts and those of their spouses and grown-up children placed under close digital monitoring for six months.”
The group said these moves were to forestall the resale of the seized drugs, which most times find their way back into the market after being resold to fake drug cartels.
They condemned the forceful breaking of shops of traders who were not present during the raid, which denied them the opportunity of taking inventory of the seized drugs.
The group also lamented that many traders who left huge amounts of cash in their shops for payment of yet to be delivered consignments lost them, including those who had money from their POS machines.
They called on the authorities petitioned to investigate the matter thoroughly and also ensure that the market and other adjoining markets that have nothing to do with sale of drugs are immediately opened.
