Families of some police officers residing along Kontagora Road in Sokoto metropolis on Sunday protested the demolition of parts of their houses by a bulldozer allegedly escorted by security personnel.
The demolition reportedly took place at about 6 a.m., with the affected residents saying they were caught unaware while still asleep.
When our correspondent National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has disclosed that local pharmaceutical manufacturing in Nigeria has increased by 25 per cent following the implementation of its 5+5 policy and Ceiling List initiatiSERAP demands probe into N78.8bn allegedly unaccounted for at humanitarian ministry agenciese.
The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, said the regulatory measures had also contributed to a shift in the ratio of imported to locally manufactured pharmaceutical products from 70:30 in 2019 to 50:50 in 2025.
Adeyeye disclosed this at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) organised Invest in Nigeria Conference and Expo 4.0, where she urged investors from more than 43 countries participating in the event to take advantage of the Federal Government’s reforms and invest in Nigeria’s pharmaceutical and medical device sectors.
She said the number of pharmaceutical manufacturing companies in the country had risen from 174 to 190, while 176 pharmaceutical companies had undergone facility layout reviews and approvals by NAFDAC as of June 2026.
According to her, 70 of the companies whose layouts were reviewed were existing manufacturers, while 106 were new companies, a development she said reflected growing confidence in local pharmaceutical production.
The NAFDAC boss explained that the 5+5 policy, introduced in 2019, was designed to phase out the importation of selected medicines that could be produced locally.
She said products covered by the policy were prohibited from being imported into the country and could only be manufactured locally, with companies required either to establish manufacturing facilities or engage suitably qualified Nigerian manufacturers through contract manufacturing arrangements.
Adeyeye said the Ceiling List had further strengthened the policy by increasing the number of products restricted from importation from nine in 2020 to 36.
She said the two initiatives had resulted in a 70 per cent decline in the importation of drug products covered by the measures, while encouraging more companies to establish or expand manufacturing operations in Nigeria.
The NAFDAC DG also disclosed that the number of companies involved in contract manufacturing had risen sharply from 10 in 2019 to 87 in 2026.
She said the growth in contract manufacturing was helping companies utilise existing production capacity while reducing dependence on international supply chains.
‘The rise in contract manufacturing reflects a strategic move toward sustainable and scalable local operations,’ Adeyeye said.
She added that existing manufacturing facilities were undergoing retrofitting and upgrades to meet current Good Manufacturing Practice standards.
Adeyeye said 37 existing manufacturers were currently undertaking construction and upgrades, while 28 others had completed construction and commenced operations.
She also attributed part of the growing investment in the sector to the Presidential Executive Order providing zero tariffs, excise duties and Value Added Tax on imported machinery, equipment and raw materials for local healthcare manufacturing.
The NAFDAC boss said the government policy had provided additional incentives for investors and was contributing to the shift from dependence on imported medicines towards domestic production.
‘There has been a marked increase in foreign investment, particularly in the medical devices sector,’ she said, adding that international investors were entering joint ventures with Nigerian firms to establish local manufacturing facilities.
She said the country was also witnessing increased technology transfer of formulations for which local manufacturing capacity already existed.
Adeyeye disclosed that 16 new pharmaceutical manufacturers and six new medical device and in-vitro diagnostics manufacturers had emerged, with the new facilities aligning with regulatory requirements, including the installation of heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems and other critical infrastructure.
She put the overall impact of the 5+5 policy and Ceiling List at 28 newly developed and retrofitted companies and 16 new facilities, totalling 44 companies and facilities and resulting in a 25 per cent increase in local manufacturing.
Adeyeye said NAFDAC would continue to support manufacturers through regulatory handholding and Corrective and Preventive Action clinics to help companies address compliance challenges.
She said the agency was also extending its local manufacturing strategy to the food and cosmetics sectors through Global Listing Re-evaluation, aimed at identifying products that could be manufactured locally and encouraging investment in their domestic production.
The NAFDAC DG urged stakeholders to collaborate with the agency in implementing the government’s local manufacturing policies, stressing that strengthening domestic production was critical to Nigeria’s food and drug security.
‘The increase in local manufacturing is in tandem with the Executive Order of the Federal Government. We should embrace it,’ she said.isited the area, parts of the perimeter fence had been pulled down, while a section of one of the houses was also affected.
One of the residents, Hajiya Safiya, widow of the late Assistant Commissioner of Police, Haliru Gwarzo, said she had lived in the house with her children for more than 20 years.
She said her late husband died after falling ill while serving in Sabon Birni Local Government Area, where he had been posted to combat banditry.
‘We were sleeping around 6am when we heard the sound of heavy machines approaching our houses. We hurriedly came out with our children, only to discover that a bulldozer had been sent to demolish our houses under the cover of some security operatives,’ she said.
Safiya alleged that the operators pulled down the perimeter fence and began demolishing one of the houses before neighbours intervened.
‘They pulled down our perimeter fence and started demolishing one of the houses before some of our neighbours came out and started throwing stones at them,’ she added.
Expressing concern over the welfare of her children, Safiya said her late husband was the family’s breadwinner.
‘He left some children for me, whom I am struggling to take care of. But this is how the Sokoto State Government is paying us for the sacrifice made by my husband, who was our breadwinner,’ she said.
She appealed to the Inspector-General of Police and the Sokoto State Commissioner of Police to intervene and prevent the affected families from losing their homes.
Another resident, Hajiya Shafa’atu Abubakar, appealed to the authorities to consider allowing the police officers to purchase the houses under an owner-occupier arrangement.
‘This is what is done to their colleagues in other states. We found out that the houses belong to the Federal Government, not the state government,’ she said.
She also expressed concern that the removal of the perimeter fence had exposed residents to security risks.
Meanwhile, a notice from the Sokoto State Rent Tribunal pasted on the affected premises showed that All Pro Developers Limited had instituted a case against the Sokoto State Commissioner of Police and nine others.
The company is seeking, among other reliefs, an interim order of ejectment against the occupants. It claimed to have been engaged and authorised by the state government to undertake development of the property.
The tribunal, however, directed that the defendants be individually served and appear before it on September 8, 2026.
A senior police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the state government had made alternative accommodation available to the police.
He said 10 houses had been allocated to the police at the Marafa Danbaba Housing Estate in Konnawa as replacements for the affected properties.
However, the Sokoto State Commissioner for Lands and Housing, Barrister Nasiru Dantsoho, said he was unaware of the demolition.
‘First of all, I’m not aware. Secondly, the case is already before the courts,’ Dantsoho said.
The commissioner said he made inquiries after learning of the demolition and was informed that a court order had been served on the affected premises.
‘I made some inquiries and I realised the court had given them an order which, I think, was placed in their respective houses last week,’ he said.
Dantsoho said he was not familiar with the details of the case or the parties involved.
‘And the case is not even between the state government and them. I don’t know. I don’t know because we are neighbours; we don’t know anything about the case,’ he said.
Asked again whether he was aware of the demolition, the commissioner replied: ‘I’m not aware. I don’t know.’
Efforts to obtain the reaction of All Pro Developers Limited were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.