The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has apprehended three individuals accused of repackaging counterfeit chemicals, expired food flavours, fertilisers, and other raw materials in the Alapere area of Ketu, Lagos State.
In a statement released on Tuesday, July 8, in Lagos, the agency confirmed that its operatives also sealed off three warehouses linked to the illicit activities.
According to the statement, the operatives were led by the agency’s Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Dr. Martins Iluyomade.
The raid was carried out following credible intelligence about a criminal network endangering public health.
“This is one of the campaigns our agency is carrying out to protect the health of Nigerians.
“We received information that some individuals were pretending to run a legitimate business, but in reality, they were engaging in serious criminal activities that put people’s lives at risk.
As an agency set up by law to stop such crimes, we stepped in to make sure those involved are brought to justice. The main offence here is the sale of expired chemicals,” Iluyomade said.
He said that chemicals are known as raw materials, with some being precursors used to make other chemicals, while others go directly into the production of goods people consume.
“If an expired chemical is used, it is impossible to get a safe or effective final product, making it a serious health risk,” Iluyomade was quoted as saying.
It further said that dangerous chemicals that pose serious security threat and are expected to be handled only by government agencies or licensed end users were discovered.
The statement said that some of the expired food addictives found at the location were from a registered company that was licenced to import the product, noting that the company will be investigated.
“Fertilisers among the items were found, these items required clearance from the National Security Adviser before anyone can distribute them. Yet, someone has been stocking and selling them freely.
“Another major concern is the expired food-grade products we found and the disturbing part is that they came from a registered company in Nigeria. That company has the legal right to import them.
“The expired batch ended up with a third party who is not a manufacturer and this raises serious questions about how some multinationals are operating in this country,” the statement said.
It also said that the three warehouses belonging in the same location were sealed while the total value of the fake and expired items seized was not less than N1billion.
The Director of Chemical Evaluation and Control, Dr leonard Omokpariola in the statement said it was unfortunate that some of the items found at the three warehouse were strictly controlled items not expected to be in the possession of an individual.
Omokpariola urged companies to always follow NAFDAC guidelines on how to handle such items.
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