By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, arrested two persons and sealed up factories involved in the production of unlicensed chemicals and illegal table water, in Apo-Waru community of Abuja.
NAFDAC Deputy Director (PR/Protocol), Mr. Adegboyega Osiyemi noted that during the Waru operation, one Mr. Ikechukwu Elijah, a local footballer in the Apo-Waru area of Abuja, and his younger brother were arrested as the brains behind the manufacturing and distributing of hazardous and unregistered chemicals to the unsuspecting public.
According to the agency, the suspect who operates an illegal factory in a residential building located in the area is also known for counterfeiting popular brands of chemicals and insecticides.
Upon interrogation by the detective, Elijah denied having any knowledge of chemical production in the area, but later owned up to the crime and accepted ownership of the illegal facility after a thorough search was conducted around the compound by the operatives, which led to the arrest of his younger brother inside the factory.
The , Desk Officer, Investigation, and Enforcement Directorate of NAFDAC , who led the operation, Mr. Embugushiki Godiya, stated that NAFDAC seized some manufacturing equipment, such as sealing machines, high capacity cylinders, large containers of chemicals, as well as evacuating all the finished products from the facility.
In a coordinated operation, he disclosed that the team also discovered and sealed an illegal water factory, MZEE Table Water, in the Damangaza district of Abuja for producing different brands of packaged water in an unhygienic environment with a fake and expired license.
NAFDAC discovered that the water factory does not even have a certified borehole, water treatment, or any required standards for a certified water factory.
When the leader of the team, Godiya put a call to the owner of MZEE Table Water factory, she claimed that her factory is registered and that she was in Gwagwalada at the moment.
At the time of visit to the water factory, no staff was found at the facility except a co-tenant in that same premises who witnessed the operation, Godiya said.
Meanwhile, the team through discreet intelligence, stormed a Shopping Plaza, opposite World Trade Centre in the Constitution Avenue in Central Business District of Abuja to confiscate counterfeit rice and the packaging materials including sealing machines used to re-bag popular brands and sell to the public.
According to Godiya, the street value of the items seized in the course of the operation is over N60 million.
NAFDAC Director General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye has cautioned
Nigerians to eat safe food and take efficacious medicines as well to avoid patronizing fake, counterfeit, or unwholesome products to reduce the demands for counterfeit products.
All the suspects arrested will be charged in court in accordance with the law ,NAFDAC promised.
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