Illegal Drug Sales in Zamfara: Weak Regulation and Informal Distribution Fuel Public Health Risk
The Zamfara State Government has intensified its campaign against the illegal sale and hawking of medicines, citing weak control over drug distribution and the growing involvement of unauthorised sellers as major risks to public health.
The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Nafisa Muhammad Maradun, raised the concern at a stakeholders’ meeting in Gusau on the enforcement of regulations governing the handling and distribution of medicines. Represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Alhaji Rilwanu Musa Zurmi, she said the problem could undermine investments in hospitals, medical equipment and healthcare personnel if residents continued to obtain medicines from unregulated sources.
A major concern identified by health authorities is the ease with which medicines can be obtained outside licensed pharmacies and approved medicine outlets. Officials warned that improper storage, expired or falsified products, self-medication and the absence of professional guidance can lead to incorrect dosages, treatment failure and increased resistance to antibiotics. The Director of Pharmaceutical Services, Pharmacist Mas’ud Isah, said stronger monitoring and intelligence-sharing are therefore needed to identify illegal distributors and close gaps that allow unauthorised medicine sales to thrive.
The state government is now seeking a coordinated response involving regulatory agencies, security personnel, traditional and religious leaders and medicine dealers. Representatives of NAFDAC, the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria, patent medicine dealers, community pharmacists, the police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, among others, participated in the meeting. Authorities said the objective is not to disrupt legitimate pharmaceutical businesses but to tackle the informal channels that make unsafe medicines accessible and expose residents to preventable health complications.
