The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has uncovered a group in Rivers State that has been distributing suspected fake drugs to the public under the guise of evangelism.

NAFDAC's South-South Zonal Director, Mr. Chukwuma Oligbu, revealed this during a media briefing in Port Harcourt on Monday. According to Oligbu, the group was tracked down at Abuloma Community Town Hall where they were caught in the act.

"One member of the group was arrested by our operatives while administering one of the suspected fake drugs on a member of the public," Oligbu stated. He added that all products were evacuated to the NAFDAC office for further investigation and documentation.

The group was found distributing unregistered eye drops, bottled water, cleansers, and tablets to unsuspecting members of the public. Some of the products identified include "Evangelist Jenkins Supernatural Water," "Evangelist Jenkins Cleanser," and "Evangelist Jenkins Eye Drop."

Posing as an evangelism outfit, the group claimed their products could treat various ailments including gastrointestinal diseases, eye challenges, goiter, cancer, piles, arthritis, rashes, fibroids, cataracts, and glaucoma.

Alarmingly, Oligbu reported that some users of the distributed eye drops have already experienced swollen eyes, which the group deceptively claimed was a sign of the drug's efficacy.

"These products have no lists of ingredients, no NAFDAC registration numbers, no manufacturer's name and address, and no expiry dates," Oligbu emphasized. "People were deceived to buy the products. They give consultancy cards to people and collect not less than N5,000 for each of the drugs. This is not good."

The NAFDAC operation is part of the agency's ongoing efforts to combat the distribution of fake and unregistered pharmaceutical products in Nigeria. The public is advised to verify the authenticity of any medication by checking for proper NAFDAC registration numbers and other required product information before use.