Miracle water: NAFDAC seals water factory
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has sealed a water factory in Delta State in connection to the ongoing probe of miracle water by faith-based organisation, Christ Mercy Land Delivery Ministries, led by Prophet Jeremiah Fufeyin.
The agency in a statement on Sunday signed by its Director General, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye alleged the ministry was using its name to deceive the unsuspecting public noting that the products are unregistered with NAFDAC.
The agency said, “NAFDAC wishes to alert the public on the activities of a faith-based organisation – Christ Mercy Land Delivery Ministries – that uses NAFDAC name to deceive the unsuspecting public.
“Recently, NAFDAC has been inundated with petitions from concerned citizens about Senior Prophet Jeremiah Omoto Fufeyin of Christ Mercy Land Delivery Ministries, Km 5 Effurun, Sapele Road, Delta State, on a Miracle Water and Miracle Soap being advertised with healing and miracle claims and sold to unsuspecting members of the public by the Spiritual Ministry. The Minister showcased the use of Miracle Water and Miracle Soap on social media to heal barrenness. He claimed that the women would carry twins if they used the soap. He openly told his congregation that the Soap is NAFDAC registered. Thus, the public began to visit the office to confirm the claims.
“The petitioners also submitted the following products from the Spiritual Ministry to NAFDAC to verify the bogus claims. The products are Miracle & Healing Water, River Jordan Water, the Miracle Water from The Pool of Bethsaida, A New Beginning Mount Camel Miracle Water, Water of Life, Miracle Water from The Pool of Bethsaida (1L), A New Beginning Pool of Bethsaida Water, and Father Smelled Perfume.”
The agency stated that upon receipt of the petitions, it contacted the Delta State Coordinator, through the Director Post Marketing Surveillance of the agency, to ascertain the existence or records of any transaction with the Christ Mercy Land Deliverance Ministries and the products in Delta State Office.
“The Coordinator was also directed to visit the Ministry to establish the veracity of the claims in the petitions and take necessary regulatory action on the production facility in the Ministry where the Miracle water and other products are produced. The State Coordinator covertly bought the Miracle Water (25cl) for 3000 naira from the Ministries and took the pictures.
“On Wednesday, August 14th 2024, the State Coordinator Delta State visited the Mercy Land Ministry and met the Head of Service – Mr. Ogunleye Fufeyin and the Chief Security Officer. The officials denied producing Miracle and Healing Water or Soap even with the evidence of the receipt of purchase. He claimed that only the Logo and address on the label were theirs but not the product. The HOS added that they only have a pool of Bethsaida water, which is spiritual and artificial. The HOS requested time to meet with other staff and returned. He returned after 30 minutes and refused to cooperate, asking them to see the CSO.
“On August 27th 2024, a team of Investigation and Enforcement NAFDAC and Federal Task Force on Counterfeit and Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods visited the Ministry to commence investigation on the place of purchase or the manufacturing site for possible sample collection, for laboratory analysis, but the officials did not cooperate with the team. Letters of invitation were issued to the officials to report on August 28th, but it was not honoured.
“The company instead submitted a Legal document at NAFDAC Headquarters Abuja on August 28th, 2024 and asked to come back on September 3rd, 2024, to organise their document before coming. The Agency then gave the Prophet till the 29th to report to the investigation and Enforcement NAFDAC Office Asaba for further necessary investigation.
“Investigation and Enforcement Asaba waited for the Christ Mercy Land Delivery Ministries officials based on their earlier request to report for commencement of the investigation, but they still refused to show up. On September 3rd, 2024, they forwarded some documents instead of asking for more time to report,” it explained.
It added that in a document made available to the NAFDAC Office on the evening of September 3rd, the faith organisation claimed to have entered into a production contract agreement with Globod Table Water Km 4, DSC Expressway, Otokutu, Delta State, without the knowledge of NAFDAC State Office in Delta State.
The agency added further that the act is illegal according to the extant rules and regulations on commercial production.
“In continuation of our investigation, NAFDAC Investigation and Enforcement has sealed the Globod Table Water factory to aid and abet the production, sale, and advertisement of unregistered and unwholesome Miracle Water under the pretext of Fake NAFDAC Registration Number.
“At this point, it is very clear that Christ Mercy Land Delivery Ministries, KM 5, is not ready to present itself for investigation of production and advertisement of suspected falsified, unwholesome, and unregistered miracle products.
“NAFDAC wishes to inform the public that none of these products being advertised and sold are registered with NAFDAC. The public is also being advised to stop patronising any of these Miracle products. NAFDAC is a scientific organisation that is guided by verifiable scientific facts before registering any product.
“In the meantime, we will continue with our investigation into the activities of this faith organisation with regard to products within our mandates that have been reported to be manufactured and sold by them. I want to use this opportunity to warn faith organisations against illegal production of regulated products without requisite regulatory requirements,” it added.
Adeyeye, however, assured Nigerians of the agency’s resolve to continue safeguarding their health.
Responding to the allegations, through the church’s media outfit called MercyLand Television Deliverance Ministry, the church argued that the allegations are false.
The statement read, “Christ Mercy Land Deliverance Ministry is a law abiding Christian Church and recognise the extant laws of the land and even the NAFDAC Act in this regard, and as a Christian Association, We are guided by Section 39 and 38 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, that guarantees all Christians and our Church the Right to freedom of religion without interference whatsoever in this regard.
“It is sequel to that, as a church we have been operating and guided by the tenets of our faith and biblical injunctions in the holy bible in this regard. We have been using certain spiritual items in expression of our religious beliefs.”
The statement also asserted that the newspaper via online publication “in the course of their story also stated and alleged that NAFDAC wishes to alert the general public on the activities of the church and the church uses NAFDAC name to deceive unsuspecting public, we wish to state that at no point our Church has ever deceived or dishonestly deceive any members of the general public, all the church has done in the entirety of this issue is the church right to expression of religion through the use of spiritual items, the church has never even produce or sell to members of the public, consumable items in this regard.
“We also wish to state that Senior Prophet Jeremiah Fufeyin of Christ MercyLand Ministry has never used the NAFDAC name as an agency to deceive innocent members of the public.”
However, as part of putting the records straight as rebuttal of the online news publication, the statement noted, “We wish to state that Christ MercyLand Deliverance Ministry was fully aware that the only pending petition against our Church is the one by Mr Martins Vincent Otse (alias Verydarkblackman) who the Church has since sued before the FCT high court on sundry allegations and matters.
“However the church was in receipt of a letter dated the 27th August 2024 from NAFDAC office extending an invitation to the Spiritual head of the church on the church miracle and healing spiritual item by the NAFDAC Asaba Office with the full designation as referenced in this letter.
“It quite unfortunate that as a law abiding organisation, we did officially as an organisation wrote to NAFDAC Headquarters office, Abuja on the short less than 12 hour time frame given to us to appear and by an official letter communicated our position in this matter to NAFDAC and then also sent another subsequent letter to NAFDAC.
“We also bring to the fore and knowledge of NAFDAC that the supposed nominal complainant to NAFDAC Asaba office actually forged the Church’s receipts in order to close himself with the right to bring a complaint before the NAFDAC office in this regard.
“We also wish to state that presently there is an ongoing police investigation of certain receipts that has indicted the nominal complainants to NAFDAC office, which same receipts is presumed to have been forged and used falsely in procuring the now investigated spiritual items by NAFDAC office.
“Moreso it should be noted that the alleged spiritual items sales receipts of the nominal complainants to NAFDAC in which he purportedly alleged to have used in evidencing a case in NAFDAC office, a look at same reveal that the position of the spiritual items receipt number are the same but different in other particulars with that normally issued by the church accounting office in the sense that vizaviz That the nominal complainants receipts are different from the position in the actual receipt booklet and receipts in the custody of the church, the dates on the receipt are clearly and obviously altered different from church client official receipts,” the statement read.
