The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has destroyed seized products with a street value of over N120 billion between October and December 2024 during a period of renewed enforcement in the six geopolitical zones and FCT.
The Director General of NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, also warned that persons who exploit Nigerians’ trust by compromising the quality of essential goods like food and medicine will face consequences in the coming year.
In a statement, she said the Agency’s Investigation and Enforcement Directorate (I&E), Pharmacovigilance (PV) Directorate, and Post-Marketing Surveillance (PMS) Directorate are jointly on the field mopping up falsified medicines, fake wines and drinks, and unwholesome food products that could endanger the health of the people during the festive season.
The products were confiscated over the period during visits of the agency to supermarkets in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Aba, Ibadan, Kaduna, and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, among others, leading to the apprehending of manufacturers and merchants of fake drugs and unwholesome foods.
The statement reads, “On Wednesday, December 11, 2024, the Agency destroyed expired, unregistered drugs worth N11 billion in Ibadan, Oyo State. In November, the Agency seized N300 million worth of fake medicines during a raid of Tyre Village, Trade Fair Complex, Lagos State. Officers of the Agency also burst counterfeit alcohol packaging centers and seized items worth N2billion in Lagos. This followed reports of illegal revalidation of expired alcoholic beverages at the Trade Fair Complex in Lagos.
“The war against substandard and falsified medicines and unwholesome food and drinks moved to Nasarawa State where officers of the Agency, led by the Director of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT Directorate, Mr. Kenneth Azikiwe stormed the Karu market situated at the border between FCT and Nasarawa State where bags of repackaged expired rice were confiscated by the Agency. Products worth about N5 billion were seized during the raid.
“Also, in Nasarawa state, the Agency sealed a factory and eight shops for packaging and distributing counterfeit rice, valued at approximately ₦5 billion. The operation, conducted on December 19, targeted a facility named Ninjur Ventures on Abacha Road, Karu. At Wuse and Garki markets in Abuja last Friday the agency confiscated over 1,600 bags of counterfeit rice worth about N5 billion where counterfeit rice was being repackaged in branded bags.”
Adeyeye emphasised the importance of ensuring only safe and wholesome food products reach Nigerian consumers, particularly during the festive season. She issued a stern warning against the counterfeiting of popular rice brands, instructing that those involved be arrested and their products removed from the market, even as 150 shops at Eziukwu Market in Aba, a suburb of Abia State, were shut down following an operation by the Agency.
“As the mop-up operation was going on in the FCT and Nasarawa State, NAFDAC was carrying out a two-day operation in the Aba market on December 16 and 17, 2024. During the operation, the agency uncovered large-scale production and distribution of fake and expired goods including beverages, carbonated drinks, wines, spirits, vegetable oils, and revalidated food items such as noodles, powdered milk, and yoghurt with a market value of N5bn.
“On Wednesday, December 11, 2024, NAFDAC also destroyed expired, unregistered, counterfeit, and smuggled products valued at ₦10,991,458,374.60. The destroyed items, collected from five states in the Southwest Zone (excluding Lagos) and Kwara State in the North Central Zone due to its proximity, were incinerated in Ibadan.”
Further, Adeyeye reiterated the need for Nigerians to always procure food and drinks in outlets with identifiable addresses and locations to ease the Agency’s track and trace obligation, adding that medicines and packaged food products that do not have NAFDAC numbers should be avoided, noting that when a product is too cheap, it’s most likely to be compromised.
The D-G said officials of its Investigation and Enforcement Directorate would continue the ongoing mop-up of substandard and falsified medicines and unwholesome food items from markets across the country.
She stated that the Agency would not rest on its oars until the merchants of death were forced out of operation, warning that the Agency would make it hard for them to operate freely and endanger the health of innocent consumers.
“The coming year will be tough for the people that prioritize money over the wellbeing of their fellow human beings by compromising the quality of medicines and food products in the country. NAFDAC wishes to advise that the members of the public should be vigilant during this yuletide season.”
