NAFDAC investigates corper's death in Enugu camp

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has started looking into the death of a National Youth Service Corps member, Etimbuk Daniel, at the Awgu Orientation Camp in Enugu State. They are collecting samples of the medications given to him for lab analysis.

On Sunday, the agency announced that its officers visited the camp clinic, spoke with medical staff and other workers, and took samples of the medications for further investigation. This comes after reports suggested that the corps member died due to substandard and fake medicines.

In a statement from its Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, NAFDAC said it wanted to “debunk the news making the rounds that the deceased corps member previously at NYSC Orientation Camp, Awgu, Enugu State, died of effects of substandard and falsified medicines.”

According to the agency, early investigations showed that Daniel was taken to the camp clinic by two fellow corps members around 9pm on Wednesday, October 7, 2026. He had symptoms that looked like severe malaria.

The statement also noted that Daniel had a history of peptic ulcer disease. NAFDAC said he was stabilized with an intramuscular antimalarial drug and other supportive medications given through an IV before being placed on bed rest for observation.

“He was placed on bed rest for observation till Thursday morning when he was discharged with oral medications,” the statement said.

NAFDAC reported that Daniel returned to the clinic on Saturday, October 10, without help, complaining of pain in his right thigh. He was advised to see a physiotherapist. But then his heavy sweating caught the attention of the doctor on duty. They checked his blood pressure and found it low at 80/40mmHg.

“He was stabilized with intravenous Normal Saline. Serial monitoring showed recurrent episodes of hypotension,” NAFDAC stated. The agency explained that his ongoing low blood pressure and poor urine output, despite receiving fluids, led to him being referred to the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu State, in an ambulance with another doctor.

“He went into coma around the time of arriving at UNTH. All efforts at resuscitating him failed,” the statement added. NAFDAC also mentioned that the camp clinic doctor later learned from Daniel’s friend that he had been vomiting for two days after his initial admission. This was something the doctor did not know.

The agency stated that the doctors believed the cause of death was “acute kidney injury secondary to severe dehydration and shock.” Defending the medications given to Daniel, NAFDAC said the same drugs had been used on several other patients at the camp, who recovered after treatment.

“It is instructive to note that the same medications given to the deceased were also administered to several other patients in the camp who got well after receiving their treatments,” the statement read.

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

As part of its investigation, NAFDAC reported that its officers had visited the clinic, interviewed medical staff and other personnel, and collected samples of the medications for lab analysis and other necessary actions.

PUNCH Metro reported that NAFDAC did not reveal the results of any lab tests and noted that the investigation is still ongoing. Daniel was the immediate past president of the Students’ Union Government of Akwa Ibom State University.

Earlier, the Nigerian Senate ordered an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death. Anietie Ekong, the media aide to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, shared this decision in a statement on Facebook last Thursday.

Ekong said the Senate decided to investigate the issue after a senator from Akwa Ibom North-East, Aniekan Bassey, raised a motion of urgent public importance. He called for a review of medical services in the NYSC orientation camps across the country.