The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has shut down the Gomboru drug market in Maiduguri, Borno State, after it was discovered that contaminated medications were being washed and sun-dried for resale after recent severe flooding in the area.
In a statement on its X account, NAFDAC announced that the closure was ordered after floodwaters submerged the market, leading to the contamination of drugs.
“Following the recent flooding in Maiduguri that submerged the Gomboru drug market, where contaminated drugs were being washed and sun-dried for resale, the @DGatNAFDAC ordered the immediate closure of the market to allow for a thorough shop-to-shop removal of these compromised drugs,” NAFDAC stated.
The flooding in Maiduguri was triggered by the rupture of the Alau Dam on the Ngadda River, located 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of the city. The disaster claimed at least 30 lives and displaced over 400,000 people.
“The death toll stands at 30,” National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) spokesperson Ezekiel Manzo informed AFP, a day after floodwaters from the overflowing dam destroyed thousands of homes in Borno State’s capital.
NEMA official Zubaida Umar described the situation as alarming, stating, “The flood has affected around 40 percent of the city. People have been forced out of their homes and are scattered everywhere.”
According to NEMA’s statistics, 414,000 people have been displaced, and officials fear that the number could rise to one million.
In addition, NEMA reported that over 23,000 households and more than 150,000 individuals have been impacted by the flood, with 286 inmates escaping from the Maiduguri Medium Security Custodial Centre as a result of the crisis. The agency also revealed that about 80 percent of animals in the local zoo have died, while the remaining 20 percent have escaped into the surrounding areas of the city.