The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control (NAFDAC) has closed Pinnacle, a well-known supermarket in the Dugbe area of Ibadan, due to the sale of counterfeit products.
The usually bustling supermarket was unusually quiet as its entrance was locked and a notice directed customers to visit its other location in Challenge.
Management of the supermarket attributed the closure to technical issues.
However, an inside source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, revealed that the problem began on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, when a NAFDAC surveillance team arrived to enforce the closure, resulting in customers being asked to leave.
“The NAFDAC team entered the mall and ordered us to close, even though there were many shoppers inside at the time. The abrupt closure disappointed the customers,” the source explained.
A senior officer from NAFDAC’s Ibadan zonal office confirmed that the order for the closure originated from the Lagos office.
The agency had been monitoring Pinnacle for some time and had invited the CEO for questioning since January, but she did not comply, leading to the closure.
“The CEO showed a complete lack of respect for authority despite the discovery of counterfeit products in the mall. She was summoned to the Lagos office but did not appear. No one is above the law,” the source added.
