NAFDAC raids Onitsha market, arrests 7 over fake products

From Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha

The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), yesterday raided Ontisha market and arrested seven persons who specialised in production of fake wines and drugs.

The agency also sealed two wine factories and two patent drug shops over alleged production of suspected fake products and fake drugs in the area.

The Director for Investigation and Enforcement Mr. Kingsley Ejiofor who led the operation yesterday said the raid was based on intelligence report that led to the discovery of some of the factories that specialised in production of fake wine of different types.

Ejiofor, explained that the exercise was part of their routine jobs to checkmate all counterfeit and prohibited products, especially drugs, but noted that in the process of their raid, they uncovered unhygienic factories with cockroaches.

He maintained that those arrested were specifically involved in the bottling of unwholesome, counterfeit and dangerous drinks, as well as, those that deals with fake and unregistered drugs.

Ejiofor said that fake products confiscated includes brands of beverages like, Hennessey, 501, Johnny Walker, Red Label whisky, Best Marula fruit cream, Pure heaven, Amarula, Baron De Vals, Eva and J&W

Others include fake tramadol of 200mg, 225mg strength, which is not meant to be sold at the market, UNFPA condom from UN meant to distribute at the hospital, some expired and unregistered drugs and injection of different types, some of the Aphrodisiac manpower drugs with high strength of 3000 and unregistered and registered Alcoholic bitter drink.

He however listed items found in the factories sealed to include stoves, colourants, plastic containers, cups, labels, corks, unidentified chemicals and recycled bottles.

“In one of the shops, the smell was so pungent that we could not even recover the materials and had to destroy them right there. It was heartbreaking to discover that the factories were meant for illegal manufacturers of bottle and dangerous chemicals known as fake wine and spirits”. Ejiofor stated.

He further advised retailers and consumers to issue and collect receipts for every product purchased to enable them to track the fakers in the markets.