The Nationwide Company for Meals and Drug Administration and Management (NAFDAC) has shut down eight rice outlets and a warehouse in Karu Native Authorities Space of Nasarawa State.
The operation, which additionally prolonged to Wuse and Garki markets in Abuja, led to the seizure of over 1,600 baggage of counterfeit rice valued at roughly N5 billion.
The raid, initiated below the directive of NAFDAC’s Director-Normal, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, sought to safeguard public well being in the course of the festive season.
Officers uncovered counterfeit rice repackaged in branded baggage, together with common names like Huge Bull, Royal Stallion, and Tomato Aposo, designed to deceive customers.
In the course of the enforcement operation, led by Mr. Kenneth Azikiwe, Director of the FCT Directorate of NAFDAC, on the Karu facility, empty branded rice baggage have been additionally found.
Azikiwe defined that the operation was initiated primarily based on intelligence obtained from members of the general public and experiences from the house owners of the affected manufacturers.
“Upon receiving these intelligence ideas, NAFDAC Director-Normal, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, issued a directive that solely protected, high quality, and healthful meals merchandise ought to be out there to Nigerians in the course of the yuletide and past.
“She particularly instructed that these counterfeiting common manufacturers of rice ought to be arrested and their merchandise faraway from the market,” he added.
Azikiwe additional famous that the NAFDAC D-G additionally ordered company enforcement actions towards these rebranding different folks’s merchandise.
“This act of counterfeiting rice is unlawful. Customers imagine they’re shopping for high quality merchandise, however the high quality is commonly substandard,” he emphasised.
Following surveillance actions, NAFDAC uncovered amenities the place a lady specialised in repackaging common rice manufacturers corresponding to Bull 25kg, Stallion Rice 10kg, and Tomatoes Rice 25kg, amongst others. The operation was carried out in a warehouse behind her residential home, which is finished solely at evening.
“As soon as the repackaging is accomplished, the merchandise are moved to a different warehouse in the course of the day on the market to unsuspecting customers,” Azikiwe defined. To keep away from suspicion, the packaging supplies have been saved in her residence.
Azikiwe suggested the general public to purchase items solely from accredited and trusted meals outlets, particularly in the course of the festive season.
“Folks should be taught to buy from respected sellers or supermarkets that preserve a dependable provide chain for high quality merchandise,” he acknowledged.
He additional urged Nigerians to all the time test for NAFDAC registration numbers, together with the manufacturing and expiry dates, on all merchandise they buy.
