The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) has sealed no fewer than 572 pharmacies, patent medicine stores, and illegal medicine outlets across Plateau State for various violations of pharmaceutical regulations.
Speaking at a press conference in Jos on Friday, June 5, 2026, at the conclusion of a four-day enforcement exercise, the PCN’s Head of Enforcement, Dr. Suleiman Chiroma, said the affected premises were sanctioned for offences including cooking inside drug outlets, unauthorized clinical practice, and illegal access to controlled medicines.
Chiroma, who represented the Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Council, Ibrahim Ahmed, said the operation was conducted in accordance with the provisions of the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (Establishment) Act No. 31 of 2022.
He explained that the enforcement exercise forms part of the Council’s efforts to implement the National Drug Distribution Guidelines (NDDG), a Federal Government initiative aimed at addressing Nigeria’s long-standing challenges in drug distribution.
“The major goal of the NDDG is to ensure drug distribution through approved channels, from the point of manufacture or importation to the end user,” Chiroma said.
He added that the ongoing enforcement campaign seeks to remove unqualified operators from the pharmaceutical supply chain and improve storage standards across medicine outlets.
“This intervention is fundamental to the eradication of substandard and falsified medicinal products,” he stated.
The enforcement team inspected medicine outlets in Jos North, Jos South, Mangu, Shendam, Barkin Ladi, Qua’an Pan, and Bassa Local Government Areas.
According to Chiroma, a total of 778 premises were inspected, comprising 199 pharmacies, 499 patent medicine stores, and 80 illegal medicine outlets.
“As a result, 572 premises were sealed, including 120 pharmacies, 372 patent medicine stores, and all 80 illegal outlets. In addition, five compliance directives were issued,” he said.
Describing the findings as alarming, Chiroma noted that about 60 percent of the pharmacies inspected failed to meet regulatory standards and were consequently sealed.
“Of the 199 pharmacies visited, 60 percent were sealed. This reflects a deeply concerning standard of pharmaceutical practice within the state and underscores the need for intensified regulatory oversight in Plateau State,” he said.
The Council also expressed concern over the dominance of non-pharmacy medicine outlets in the state.
“It was observed that only 26 percent of the total premises inspected were pharmacies, while the remainder consisted of Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendors and illegally operated outlets,” he said.
Among the major infractions uncovered were the practice of cooking within pharmaceutical premises, widespread unauthorized clinical services, unlawful storage and dispensing of medicines beyond approved limits, unauthorized access to poison cupboards by non-pharmacists, and the operation of unlicensed medicine outlets.
Other violations included failure to produce valid licenses or registration documents upon request, operating illegal premises, and obstructing authorized pharmaceutical inspectors in the discharge of their duties.
Chiroma warned that such practices pose significant risks to public safety and national security.
“These activities pose grave threats to public health and national security, as controlled medicines may be diverted into the hands of criminal elements and insurgents,” he said.
Despite the high number of closures, the Council noted that the prevalence of outright illegal outlets remained relatively low.
“Of the 778 premises inspected, 10 percent were operating illegally, accounting for 14 percent of all premises sealed during the exercise. This indicates a relatively low prevalence of illegal medicine outlets in Plateau State,” he said.
However, he expressed concern over poor compliance levels among registered pharmacies.
“Only 40 percent of the pharmacies inspected were found to be in good standing. This remains unsatisfactory, as many pharmacies were discovered to have incomplete registration status,” he stated.
Chiroma reaffirmed the Council’s commitment to maintaining standards within the pharmaceutical sector.
“The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria remains unwavering in its statutory mandate to safeguard the integrity of pharmaceutical practice. All premises involved in the handling of medicines will continue to be subjected to rigorous regulatory oversight,” he said.
The Council also urged members of the public to obtain medicines only from licensed and properly registered outlets to ensure their safety and protect public health.