NAFDAC: NYSC Member’s Death Not Yet Linked To Substandard Drugs

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has dismissed reports linking the death of a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member at the orientation camp in Agwu, Enugu State, to the use of substandard and falsified medicines.

The agency said preliminary investigations indicated that the deceased, whose name was not disclosed, presented symptoms suggestive of severe malaria and later developed complications believed by the attending doctors to be acute kidney injury resulting from severe dehydration and shock.

NAFDAC, however, said it had collected samples of medications administered at the camp clinic for laboratory analysis to determine their quality and take further necessary action.

In a statement issued by its Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, the agency said the corps member was brought to the camp clinic by two fellow corps members on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, at about 9 p.m.

According to the statement, he was suspected to be suffering from severe malaria and had a known history of peptic ulcer disease.

It said he was stabilised with intramuscular antimalarial medication and other supportive drugs administered intravenously before being placed on bed rest for observation.

He was discharged the following morning with oral medications.

NAFDAC said the corps member returned to the clinic unaided on Saturday, October 10, complaining of pain in his right thigh, prompting the medical team to advise him to see a physiotherapist.

However, his profuse sweating attracted the attention of the attending doctor, who checked his blood pressure and discovered that it was critically low at 80/40mmHg.

The agency said he was stabilised with intravenous normal saline, but subsequent monitoring revealed repeated episodes of low blood pressure.

It added that his persistently poor urine output, despite adequate fluid replacement, raised further concerns and prompted his referral to the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu State.

According to NAFDAC, the corps member was transported to the hospital in an ambulance accompanied by another doctor but fell into a coma around the time he arrived at the facility.

Efforts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful.

The agency further disclosed that a friend of the deceased later informed the camp clinic doctor that the corps member had been vomiting for two days following his initial admission, a development the doctor was reportedly unaware of at the time.

NAFDAC said the same medications administered to the deceased had also been given to several other patients at the camp, who recovered after treatment.

It added that the medical doctors, pharmacists and other healthcare workers at the clinic had also used the medications themselves at different times.

The agency said these circumstances did not establish a link between the medicines and the corps member’s death, stressing that further investigations, including laboratory analysis of the collected samples, were ongoing.

It disclosed that its officers had visited the camp clinic, interviewed the doctors and other staff members, and collected samples of the medications for necessary investigations.

NAFDAC urged the public to remain calm while investigations continued, assuring Nigerians that it was taking the necessary steps to ensure that medicines available to the public were safe, of good quality and effective.

The agency also expressed condolences to the family of the deceased, praying that God would grant them the strength to bear the loss.