Pharmacy council shuts 383 drug premises over regulatory violations in Ogun

The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) has shut down 383 pharmaceutical premises across Ogun State over various regulatory violations, including operating without valid licences, poor storage of medicines and running illegal drug outlets.

The enforcement exercise, carried out across 11 local government areas, was part of the council’s efforts to sanitise Nigeria’s drug distribution system and ensure that medicines are sold only through licensed outlets.

Speaking at a press conference in Abeokuta on Friday, the Head of the PCN Enforcement Department, Dr. Suleiman Chiroma, said inspectors visited 738 pharmaceutical premises, made up of 277 pharmacies, 288 Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendor (PPMV) stores, and 173 illegal or unregistered outlets.

“A total of 383 premises were sealed during the exercise, including 123 pharmacies, 87 Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendor stores, and all 173 illegal outlets, while three operators were issued compliance directives for minor regulatory breaches,” Chiroma said.

According to Chiroma, the exercise was conducted on the directive of the Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Council, Pharm. Ibrahim Babashehu Ahmed, in line with the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (Establishment) Act, 2022.

He said the operation was aimed at enforcing compliance with the National Drug Distribution Guidelines (NDDG), which were introduced to eliminate open drug markets and create a regulated system for distributing medicines in the country.

“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,” Chiroma said.

He explained that the guidelines allow medicines to be distributed only through licensed manufacturers, importers, wholesale centres, retail pharmacies and approved Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendors.

According to him, illegal drug outlets weaken this system by providing channels for fake, substandard and diverted medicines to reach unsuspecting members of the public.

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 disclosed that 23 per cent of all premises inspected were operating illegally with most of the illegal facilities located outside Abeokuta metropolis.

He said the findings showed the need for stronger regulatory enforcement in rural communities.

“Illegal premises accounted for 45 per cent of all facilities sealed during the operation. Among licensed operators, only 56 per cent of pharmacies inspected were fully compliant with regulatory standards, indicating the need for enhanced monitoring and enforcement. In contrast, 70 per cent of Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendor outlets complied with regulatory requirements,” he said.

The enforcement team also identified several violations, including operating without valid PCN licences, poor storage of medicines, unauthorised access to controlled medicines, obstructing inspectors, cooking inside pharmaceutical premises and illegally training apprentices.

Chiroma warned that these practices pose serious risks to public health.