The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has begun laboratory tests on medicines administered to a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member who died after receiving treatment at an orientation camp in Enugu State.
In a public alert issued on Sunday, October 18, 2026, the agency said it had launched an investigation into the death at the NYSC orientation camp in Agwu, while dismissing claims that the deceased died from the effects of substandard or falsified medicines.
NAFDAC said preliminary findings suggested that the corps member had presented symptoms consistent with severe malaria and had a history of peptic ulcer disease before his condition deteriorated.
The agency disclosed that its officers had visited the camp clinic, interviewed medical personnel and other staff, and collected samples of the medicines administered to the deceased for laboratory analysis and further investigation.
According to NAFDAC, two fellow corps members brought him to the clinic at about 9 p.m. on Wednesday, October 7, with symptoms suggestive of severe malaria.
Medical personnel reportedly stabilised him with intramuscular antimalarial medication and other supportive drugs administered intravenously before placing him on bed rest for observation.
The agency said he was discharged the following morning with oral medications after his condition appeared sufficiently stable.
However, the corps member returned to the clinic on Saturday, October 10, complaining of pain in his right thigh. NAFDAC said he was advised to consult a physiotherapist.
His condition raised further concern when the attending doctor noticed that he was sweating profusely and checked his blood pressure, which was critically low at 80/40mmHg.
The medical team subsequently administered intravenous normal saline to stabilise him, but repeated monitoring reportedly showed that his blood pressure continued to drop.
NAFDAC explained that his worsening condition and poor urine output, despite receiving fluids, prompted the medical personnel to refer him to the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu State.
He was taken to the hospital in an ambulance accompanied by another doctor but reportedly slipped into a coma around the time he arrived. Efforts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful.
The agency further disclosed that the doctor at the camp clinic was later informed by the deceased’s friend that the corps member had been vomiting for two days after his initial admission.
According to NAFDAC, the doctor said he had not been aware of the vomiting while treating the corps member.
Based on their preliminary assessment, the doctors believed that the death could have resulted from acute kidney injury secondary to severe dehydration and shock.
However, NAFDAC stressed that the assessment was not a definitive conclusion on the cause of death, as the investigation and laboratory analysis were still ongoing.
Addressing concerns about the medicines administered at the clinic, the agency said the same medications had been given to several other patients at the camp, who reportedly recovered after treatment.
It added that doctors, pharmacists and other healthcare workers at the facility had also prescribed and personally used the medications at different times.
Despite these observations, NAFDAC said the circumstances surrounding the corps member’s death required further investigation to establish what happened.
The laboratory analysis of the collected samples is expected to help determine whether the medicines met the required quality standards and whether any concerns about their safety or quality were justified.
The agency expressed condolences to the family of the deceased, acknowledging the loss suffered by his relatives.
It also urged members of the public to remain calm while the investigation continued, assuring Nigerians that it was taking the necessary steps to ensure that medicines available in the country were safe, effective and of good quality.
NAFDAC advised members of the public seeking clarification or wishing to report concerns to contact its call centre on 0800-1-623322 or 0700-1-623322. Complaints can also be sent to reforms@nafdac.gov.ng.
The investigation comes amid public concern over medicine safety and the need for clear, evidence-based findings when deaths occur after medical treatment.
NAFDAC said the outcome of the investigation and laboratory analysis would guide any further action.
