A female clothing trader at Ogbo-Ogwu Bridgehead Market in Onitsha, Anambra State Ms. Sophie Eberechukwu Okoye has formally commenced legal proceedings against the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) at the Federal High Court, Awka.
According to her legal counsel, Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, the suit was filed following the expiration of the statutory period outlined in the pre-action notice served on NAFDAC.
He stated that once this mandatory notice period elapsed, legal action against the regulatory agency was promptly initiated.
“In every just and democratic society,” “the rule of law is sacrosanct. No agency, regardless of its mandate, has the right to operate beyond the legal boundaries that define its existence” Ejiofor noted.
His statement continued:“
The recent developments at Ogbo-Ogwu Bridgehead Market in Onitsha, Anambra State, are a shameful testament to the dangers of institutional overreach and the betrayal of fundamental legal principles.
The now widely circulated footage of Ms. Sophie Eberechukwu Okoye a young trader reduced to tears after her shop was unlawfully broken into and looted has shocked the conscience of the nation. Her store, which deals exclusively in clothing, watches, and fashion accessories, has no connection whatsoever to the pharmaceutical trade. Nevertheless, it was targeted in a sweeping operation allegedly executed by a joint task force acting under NAFDAC's authority.
What occurred was not enforcement it was outright lawlessness. This was not regulation it was orchestrated pillage. Operatives tasked with protecting public health instead unleashed terror on innocent citizens, destroying livelihoods and violating rights without any legal justification.
This is unacceptable. Accordingly, and in compliance with due process, we have now filed a lawsuit at the Federal High Court, Awka, seeking full accountability and redress for Ms. Sophie who stands as a victim of this gross abuse of power.
Yet this matter transcends one individual. The events at Ogbo-Ogwu suggest a systemic pattern of misconduct, impunity, and unchecked abuse by enforcement bodies operating under the guise of regulatory oversight.
We therefore call on both the Federal Government and the Government of Anambra State to immediately constitute an independent investigative panel. This body must audit the entire operation, identify all those responsible, and ensure they are brought to justice.
While we unequivocally support NAFDAC’s statutory mandate to rid markets of counterfeit and substandard drugs, no mission,however noble,can justify the trampling of innocent citizens’ rights or the destruction of lawful businesses. Justice cannot, and must not, become collateral damage.
A government that victimizes the innocent while purporting to defend the public has fundamentally failed its people. Every agency must be reminded: they operate under the law not above it.
Today it is Sophie. Tomorrow, it could be you. That is why we must demand transparency, uphold the rule of law, and resist tyranny in all its forms.
We will not be silenced. We will not retreat. Justice must be done and be seen to be done.”
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