The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has uncovered an illegal operation involving fake chemicals, expired food flavours, fertilisers and repackaged raw materials in Lagos.
This is contained in a statement by NAFDAC on Tuesday in Lagos.
According to the statement, NAFDAC operatives busted the illegal operation at the Alapere area of Ketu, which led to the arrest of three suspects and the sealing of three warehouses.
It stated that 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 the chemicals found were 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.
The statement said dangerous chemicals posing serious security threats and expected to be handled only by government agencies or licensed end users were discovered.
It also said some of the expired food additives found at the location were from a registered company licensed to import them, noting that the company would 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 stated that the three warehouses in the same location were sealed, while the total value of the fake and expired items seized was not less than N1 billion.
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 warehouses 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.
