Rights group urges Tinubu, Health Minister to intervene in onitsha drug market closure

By Cyprian Ebele, Onitsha 

A human rights organization, Civil Liberties Organization, CLO, Anambra State chapter, has urged President Bola Tinubu and the Health Minister,  Muhammadu Ali Pate, to reopen the onitsha drug market that was closed by NAFDAC.

The group through its chairman, Vincent Ezekwueme, made the urge recalling that CLO has been in the vanguard of advocating for sanitizing, discouraging and curtailing of buying and selling of illicit/fake drugs and vowed it will continue to support laudable relentless efforts of government and its agencies towards eradicating and eliminating it such drugs in other to save lives of unsuspecting public in tandem with extant law.

“It is an anathema and antithetical to natural justice, good conscience and morality to punish the innocent with the guilty ones. We appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as democrat, father of the nation and Minister for Health Muhammad Pate to prevail on NAFDAC officials to forensically fish out those buying and selling illegitimate drugs and made them to you face the full wrath of the law and allow the innocent ones to continue in their legitimate business.

“Unfortunately information at our disposal indicates that nearly 95 per cent of the affected traders were doing legitimate business and are law abiding.They are mostly breadwinners of their respective families and as such lives and education of their children are now in great jeopardy,” it disclosed.

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In a press statement signed and issued to newsmen by Ezekwueme Chairman, comrade Damian Oguike, secretary, tagged, “Think about millions of people who died because democracy reacted too late to evils of oppression, injustice, man’s inhumanity against man and bad governance”, the organization called on President Tinubu to urgently intervene.

His intervention by immediately reopening the market according to CLO will rescue the pathetic and despicable situation and save lives of the affected traders, families and their loved ones.

“Let us always do things right as there are other adjoining  six markets not linked to or dealing with drugs that were shutdown and owners of shops designated for search supposed to be there to take inventory of items confiscated.

“Pertinently urgent and immediate reopening of the markets will certainly ameliorate excruciating sufferings, agony, plights and predicaments of those affected including their families,servants and dependents, among others.

“It is of prime importance to note that some of the affected traders depend on friends and relatives to eat and most of their children are now out of school due to their inability  to pay school fees as a result  of closure of their only source of livelihood.

“We also call for payment of adequate compensations to innocent traders whose shops were erroneously closed  or those who alleged that their products are genuine and properly registered by NAFDAC yet confiscated.

“It is correct to say that continued closure of the markets will exacerbate health challenges confronting the nation as prices of drugs have skyrocketed astrologically,” CLO stated.