The Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) has sealed off 342 pharmacies and patent medicine shops in Ogun State for various offences.
The council also arrested one suspect for “fraudulently collecting money meant for premises registration and renewal from stakeholders.”
The PCN Director of Enforcement, Stephen Esumobi, disclosed this in Abeokuta, Ogun State, after an enforcement operation which took the team to about 646 Patent Medicine Shops (PMS) and pharmacies across the state.
Esumobi, who led the operation carried out alongside Joseph Ali, Head of Ogun State office, and Ogunlola Adenike, a Deputy Director, said at the end of the exercise, 26 pharmacies and 316 shops were sealed in Ota, Sagamu, Mowe-Ibafo, Ifo, Abeokuta and other parts of the state.
He said the premises were sealed for operating without registration or renewal of premises certificates, unauthorised sale of substances of abuse, poor storage conditions, poor sanitary condition amongst other offences.
The director said the exercise was not meant to send the culprits out of business, rather to ensure that they comply with the standards of operations.
A total of 19 compliance directives were issued while one person was arrested for fraudulently collecting money meant for premises registration and renewal from stakeholders.
“We are not sending them out of business. This is not even the best time to send anybody out of business. It’s only to ensure they comply with the law. It’s only when they are recalcitrant that we bring full weight of law on them,” he said.
Esumobi hinted that the suspected fraudster would be arraigned on Monday.
He, however, reiterated the PCN’s mandate which includes setting and enforcing standards for all stakeholders in the pharmaceutical sector with respect to location, personnel and practice.
