NAFDAC arrests 7, impounds two vehicles in Benin over unwholesome products

Leadership - The National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Wednesday in Benin arrested seven persons involved in the sales of unwholesome products in Benin.

The Coordinator of NAFDAC in Edo, Mr David West, said the suspects were arrested during series of raids carried out by the agency in several locations.

He said two persons were arrested using vehicles to sell herbal drugs; two persons were involved in the repackaging of vegetable oil without labels and in an unhygienic environment.

According to him, the three others are involved in the sales of alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks without NAFDAC numbers.

The coordinator said the offenders had been taken to the Police Headquarters in Benin for interrogation.

He said two warehouses used for the storage of the vegetable oil and three shops containing the unregistered drinks were sealed off.

West said the exercise was to ensure that the country was rid of unwholesome products.

‘’Herbal drugs are supposed to be sold in registered premises and it is an offence to sell them at the road sides and outside the premises.

‘’We have to ensure that any drink or wine manufactured in Nigeria or imported must go through a process of registration and has the NAFDAC number.

‘’The offenders are selling products that have not gone through the registration process.

‘’The vegetable oil has been taken for samples in the laboratory for investigation to assess its quality.

‘’The gallons of vegetable oil are not labeled and the sanitation of the outfit is also poor; these are enough for us to suspect that these products are unwholesome.

‘’We want to ensure that both local and foreign products have marketing authorisation and we do not make Nigeria a dumping ground for all types of products,’’ he said.

Similarly, Godwin Okonofia, the Chairman of the Edo Task force on Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Food, said the rate of counterfeiting of drugs in the state was worrisome.

According to him, “we are working and we will continue to work to ensure that fake products become a thing of the past in the