The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) has issued an urgent call to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, demanding that the Federal Government officially declare pharmaceutical insecurity a national security threat. ​Speaking on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, during an executive press briefing at the National Secretariat in Abuja, the President of the PSN, Pharm.
Ayuba Ibrahim Tanko, warned that the unchecked proliferation of unregulated drug markets and the systemic diversion of controlled medicines are directly fueling organized crime across the country. ​Pharm. Tanko emphasized that illicit pharmaceutical channels no longer represent merely a public health challenge, but have escalated into a central driver of national destabilisation.
According to the leadership of the Society, unmonitored distribution chains provide direct financial and operational lifelines to criminal networks, creating dangerous links between drug trafficking, banditry, terrorism, and syndicate operations nationwide. ​Addressing journalists, Pharm. Tanko urged immediate executive action to dismantle unauthorized open drug markets across Nigeria and mandate a transition toward licensed Coordinated Wholesale Centres operating under strict regulatory oversight.
To curb the spread of counterfeit and substandard medications, the Society called for urgent legislative amendments to impose stiffer penalties, proposing fines of up to ₦25 million and mandatory prison sentences ranging from 15 to 20 years for individuals convicted of manufacturing or distributing fake pharmaceuticals. ​
Furthermore, the PSN reiterated that full implementation of the National Drug Distribution Guidelines remains vital to closing structural loopholes and securing the country’s pharmaceutical supply chain. The Society concluded that treating medicine security as a core component of national defense is essential to safeguarding public health, restoring regulatory order, and cutting off funding streams for insurgent and bandit groups across Nigeria.
