NAFDAC Nabs Counterfeiters Of Regulated Food, Beverages

THE National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has arrested counterfeiters of LAMHJIB herbal medicine, wide variety of hair relaxers, tasty time glucose aid energy drink and other unwholesome products in Lagos and Benin.

Director-general of the agency, Yetunde Oni, who disclosed this at a media briefing in Lagos, said the suspects would be charged to court at the conclusion of investigations.

Oni revealed that the suspect in the herbal medicine was using fake NAFDAC registration numbers and even tendered the certificate to investigators, when the enforcement team raided the company located at Mile 12 area of Lagos. Oni, who was represented by the director of investigations and enforcement, Kingsley Ejiofor stressed that the prime suspect, one Idris Adamu based in Sokoto allegedly designed the NAFDAC certificate using com- puter, printed and way billed it to one Abubakar Ibrahim at Kaduna, who filled all necessary information and signed.

Also the agency revealed that the raid on Tasty Time Nigeria Limited, Ipaja saw the discovery of 17 other unregistered products in the company’s warehouse and factory, where it was noted that the company clandestinely copied the label and artwork of Lucozade Energy drink and inserted the NAFDAC registration numbers of one of their products with expired certificate as the agency registration number of the Tasty Time Glucozeaid Energy Drink.

Ejiofor condemned the faking of NAFDAC registration numbers, saying the agency’s is taking steps to arrest the use of fake NAFDAC registration numbers on regulated products, forgery of its documents and other surreptitious activities on finished products through renewed enforcement drive and post registration/ market surveillance.