NAFDAC SHUTS DOWN NASARAWA FACTORY, SHOPS FOR PACKAGING, SELLING FAKE RICE
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The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) sealed a factory and eight shops in Nasarawa State on Thursday for involvement in the packaging, sale, and distribution of fake rice.
NAFDAC’s Investigation and Enforcement Taskforce acted on an intelligence report and confiscated counterfeit rice valued at approximately N5 billion.
The sealed factory, identified as Ninjur Ventures, was hidden behind a residential building at 44 Abacha Road in Karu, Nasarawa State. It was shut down for activities related to packaging, distributing, and selling fake rice, along with the seizure of incriminating documents.
The confiscated items included counterfeit rice packaged in bags labeled with well-known brand names such as Royal Stallion, Big Bull, Mama’s Choice, Optimum, and Ultimate Gold. The products came in 25kg and 50kg sacks.
A factory worker, Ms. Gift Thomas, was apprehended during the operation.
When questioned about the presence of newly branded sacks in the warehouse, Thomas denied any involvement, claiming the bags came from other sources and that non-employees had access to the factory premises.
Thomas asserted that the factory had been closed since Tuesday and denied recent rice distribution, despite evidence indicating otherwise.
The factory owner, Eze Dike, was absent at the time of the raid.
Additionally, eight shops located on Old Karu Road in Nasarawa State were sealed for their involvement in packaging and selling fake rice.
Apart from Thomas, two shop owners were arrested for engaging in the packaging and sale of counterfeit rice.
Kenneth Azikiwe, NAFDAC’s Director in the Federal Capital Territory, told journalists that the nationwide enforcement exercise was initiated by the agency’s Director General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, to remove all counterfeit food products from circulation.
“As you can see from the whole exercise, you can see the packaging material that are used for the counterfeiting of these products. So for us, for us in NAFDAC, we implement zero tolerance to counterfeiting, faking, and to ensure that only safe, good quality, wholesome food products are made available to Nigerians during this yuletide season and beyond.
“The counterfeited products have been in the market for some time. We got information through intelligence and complaints from the manufacturers. We found out that there are popular brands which are being counterfeited. Some of the manufacturers wrote complaints to us and also in the course of our job, we got intelligence to know exactly where these criminal elements are, and that is why we have come here today to fish them out.
“From what you can see from the Karu manufacturing factory we went, the packaging materials of different brands were seen. They package these food products and sell to unsuspecting Nigerians so that the unsuspecting Nigerians will believe that those brands are really what they are consuming. These criminal elements will definitely face the full wrath of the law.”
Azikiwe added that the estimated street value of the counterfeited bags of rice seized so far is N5bn.
“We did not start this exercise today. We have about 400 bags already in Wuse market which we have already put on hold and seized from those involved in it, and we have the ones we have seized here. But roughly we are putting the quantity of rice and counterfeited products that we have seized to about N5bn.
“It’s a nationwide operation and it’s going to continue, because those criminal elements are not resting. From the total number of bags we have seized, they are mainly 25 kgs and 50 kgs, and they are about 1,600 bags. The factory visited was built behind a residential facility where they conceal their activity, but the individuals involved will face the full wrath of the law in line with NAFDAC’s regulation.
My advice to Nigerians is that they should know the source where they are buying their food products, ensure that the food products you are buying are registered by NAFDAC, ensure that the aesthetic presentation of the products are good, look at the batch information and know the source from where you are buying these things, buy from reputable stores, supermarkets and distributors that are selling these products.”
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