Edited News Story: The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has dismantled a fraudulent syndicate posing as free healthcare providers and missionaries in the Abuloma area of Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The agency revealed that the group distributed fake and unregistered products, including tablets and eye drops, to unsuspecting residents. A middle-aged woman, Mrs. Gladys Theophilus, was arrested while administering the illicit products.
Chukwuma Oligbu, Director of NAFDAC’s South-South Zone, disclosed this while briefing journalists in Port Harcourt on Monday. He said the operation followed a tip-off from concerned citizens, which led to a raid at the Community Town Hall in Abuloma last Friday.
“The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has uncovered the activities of some unscrupulous elements posing as missionaries/free health caregivers at the Community Town Hall, Abuloma,” Oligbu stated.
He explained that the group used evangelism as a cover to distribute unregistered products, including Evangelist Jenkins Supernatural Water, Evangelist Jenkins Cleanser, and Evangelist Jenkins Eye Drop, claiming they could cure a wide range of ailments such as cancer, goitre, arthritis, fibroids, cataracts, and glaucoma.
Oligbu noted that some individuals who used the eye drops reported severe swelling. The fake doctor, now on the run, allegedly told victims that the swelling was a sign the medicine was working and that the impurities would be expelled through tears and mucus.
“When the NAFDAC team, led by the State Coordinator, Emmanuel Onogwu, stormed the venue at Jetty Road, Abuloma, Mrs. Theophilus was caught administering the fake drugs,” he said. “The suspect was immediately arrested while the so-called doctor, when contacted by phone, claimed to be outside the state.”
The fake products have been confiscated and transferred to the NAFDAC Zonal Office at Woji Road, GRA Phase 2, as investigations continue.
Oligbu confirmed that Mrs. Theophilus will be charged to court, and efforts are ongoing to apprehend other fleeing members of the syndicate.
He cautioned the public against patronising unregistered products from self-styled evangelists and warned: “Their products are not registered or verified by any government body. Anybody patronising them is doing so at their own peril.”
Reiterating NAFDAC’s zero tolerance for fake and counterfeit drugs, Oligbu urged citizens to report suspicious health activities promptly. “We remain committed to safeguarding the health of the nation,” he added.