Pharmacists decry excesses of NDLEA in Kaduna

The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria’s Kaduna State branch urgently called upon the Federal Government and the National Assembly to rein in the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Kaduna. Speaking to reporters in Kaduna, the Chairman, Pharm. Sunday Ali Okoh, expressed concern over the NDLEA’s overreach and urged presidential and legislative intervention.

Okoh highlighted instances where the NDLEA had unjustly, unlawfully, and unprofessionally obstructed pharmacists in their duties. While acknowledging the agency’s role in apprehending and prosecuting illicit drug dealers, Okoh stressed that this shouldn’t impede pharmacists from fulfilling their mandated responsibilities.

He emphasized the fundamental right to access medication and pointed out that pharmacists are authorized to handle various aspects of drug management, as outlined in the PCN Act 2022. Okoh accused the NDLEA of repeatedly obstructing pharmacists’ life-saving activities for personal gain, alleging bribery and extortion tactics.

He condemned the situation where law enforcement agents had turned into law breakers. Okoh underscored the critical role of pharmacists as legal entities responsible for storing many patients’ medications, warning that sealing off pharmacists’ premises effectively denied citizens their right to life.