The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) has sealed 797 pharmacies, patent and proprietary medicine stores and illegal drug outlets across Kano State, following a four-day enforcement operation over alleged regulatory breaches. The operation covered 1,153 premises across 28 local government areas, with the council also shutting down the illegal drug cluster at Dalan-Gyada, popularly known as the Groundnut Pyramid, along Katsina Road.
When the Inspectors Arrived, the Medicine Business Suddenly Needed “Technical Reassessment”
According to the PCN, the sealed premises included eight pharmacies, 352 patent medicine stores and all 437 illegal outlets identified during the exercise. Six additional compliance directives were issued. The council said some operators were allegedly running without registration, while some patent medicine vendors were found stocking medicines outside the categories they were authorised to sell, including ethical medicines, injectables and intravenous infusions.
Inspectors also reportedly found problems involving record-keeping, signage and hygiene, while the council said poisonous substances were accessible to non-pharmacists at some premises. In other words, the inspection appears to have discovered that for some outlets, the only thing properly organised was the arrangement of medicines on the shelf. PCN said regulatory breaches would continue to attract enforcement action.
Dalan-Gyada Drug Cluster Gets the Big Red Stop Sign
The enforcement operation also shut down the Dalan-Gyada illegal drug cluster on Katsina Road. PCN said the quality, safety and efficacy of medicines sold there could not be guaranteed, prompting the council to close the cluster as part of its enforcement activities. The warning is particularly significant because medicine quality is not something consumers can safely judge merely by looking at colourful packaging or a convincing sales pitch.
Interestingly, the PCN said pharmacies represented only about 1.37 percent of the 1,153 premises inspected, highlighting what it described as a shortage of pharmaceutical services in the areas visited. The council also reported that only half of the pharmacies inspected were fully compliant with regulatory standards, suggesting that even licensed operators remain under pressure to keep their businesses within the rules.
For OGM News NG, the bigger lesson is simple: medicine is not an ordinary commodity where buyers should rely on guesswork, roadside recommendations or the confidence of a seller. The PCN has urged Nigerians to obtain medicines only from properly licensed premises and said valid licences should be displayed at authorised facilities. With enforcement continuing, Kano residents and medicine operators will be watching closely to see whether the crackdown produces lasting compliance rather than a temporary disappearance of business signs. Stay with OGM News NG for further updates on this developing story.
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