PCN Seals 572 Medicine Outlets in Plateau State Over Widespread Regulatory Violations
Key Insights
The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (search) sealed 572 premises across Plateau State during a four-day enforcement exercise targeting 778 inspected outlets.
Of 199 pharmacies visited, 60% were sealed for non-compliance, and only 40% were found to be in good standing with complete registration.
Violations included cooking inside drug outlets, unauthorized clinical practice, illegal access to controlled medicines, and operation without valid licenses.
The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (search) (PCN) has sealed 572 pharmacies, patent medicine stores, and illegal medicine outlets across Plateau State following a four-day enforcement exercise that uncovered widespread regulatory violations, including cooking inside drug premises, unauthorized clinical practice, and unlawful access to controlled medicines.
The operation, conducted across Jos South, Jos North, Mangu, Shendam, Barkin Ladi, Qua'an Pan, and Bassa Local Government Areas, involved the inspection of 778 premises comprising 199 pharmacies, 499 patent medicine stores, and 80 illegal outlets.
Dr. Suleiman Chiroma, Head of Department for Enforcement at PCN, speaking on behalf of Registrar/CEO Ibrahim Ahmed, disclosed the findings at a press conference in Jos. "Of the 199 pharmacies visited, 60 percent were sealed. This finding reflects a deeply concerning standard of pharmaceutical practice within the state and underscores the need for the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (search) to intensify its regulatory efforts in Plateau State," Chiroma stated.
Scope of Enforcement and Key Findings
The enforcement team sealed 120 pharmacies, 372 patent medicine stores, and all 80 illegal outlets identified during the operation. Five compliance directives were also issued. Chiroma noted that only 26% of the total premises inspected were pharmacies, while the remainder comprised Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendors (PPMVs) and illegally operated outlets.
Further analysis revealed that only 40% of the pharmacies inspected were in good standing—a figure Chiroma described as "unsatisfactory." A significant number of pharmacies were found to have incomplete registration status.
Despite the high number of closures, the PCN noted that the prevalence of illegal outlets was relatively low. "Of the 778 premises visited, 10 percent were operating illegally, and these accounted for 14 percent of all premises sealed during the exercise. This indicates a relatively low prevalence of illegal premises in Plateau State," Chiroma said.
Documented Violations
The PCN catalogued multiple infractions during the exercise. These included the cooking and preparation of food within pharmaceutical and patent medicine premises, failure to produce valid licences or evidence of registration upon lawful demand, engaging in unauthorized clinical practice, and over-stocking beyond the approved list for PPMVs.
Additional violations included unlawful storage and dispensing of medicines beyond the approved legal scope, unauthorized access to poison cupboards by non-pharmacists, operating illegal premises, and willful obstruction of duly authorized pharmaceutical inspectors from discharging their duties.
Chiroma warned that such practices carry grave implications. "Such practices pose grave risks to public health and national security, as controlled medicines may be diverted into the hands of criminal elements and insurgents," he cautioned.
Regulatory Framework and Mandate
The enforcement exercise was carried out under the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (search) (Establishment) Act No. 31 of 2022 and aligns with the Federal Government's National Drug Distribution Guidelines (search) (NDDG). The NDDG was developed to address Nigeria's "chaotic drug distribution system" by ensuring that medicines flow through approved channels from the point of manufacture or importation to the end user.
"The ongoing enforcement initiative is systematically disengaging non-professional actors from the pharmaceutical supply chain and remedying deficiencies in storage infrastructure. This intervention is fundamental to the eradication of substandard and falsified medicinal products," Chiroma stated.
The PCN emphasized that it remains unwavering in its statutory mandate to safeguard integrity within the pharmaceutical practice environment. "All premises engaged in the handling of medicines shall be subject to rigorous and sustained regulatory oversight," Chiroma affirmed, adding that every Nigerian is entitled to access safe, quality-assured medicines dispensed solely by duly trained and licensed professionals.
The Council urged members of the public to patronize only licensed medicine outlets to ensure their safety and the integrity of the medicines they consume.