NAFDAC destroys N5bn harmful worth of goods in five months
The National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control said it destroyed N5billion worth of harmful goods in five months.
This was contained in a statement by the agency’s Media Consultant, Sayo Akintola, and made available to Nigerian NewsDirect on Sunday.
The statement was titled “NAFDAC urges judiciary to apply stiffer penalty against drug counterfeiters, unwholesome process of good and cosmetics, wants NASS to pass counterfeit medical product bill to strengthen agency’s war against offenders, agency destroys spurious products worth N5bn in five months.”
According to the statement, the NAFDAC boss, Mojisola Adeyeye, also proposed stiffer penalties against drug counterfeiters.
The statement read, “In its renewed efforts to safeguard the health of Nigerians, the agency has resolved to go after those who engage in the circulation of counterfeited and expired medicines, cosmetics, and spurious food products in the country until they are apprehended and made to face the wrath of the law.
“The agency would not rest on its oars until merchants of death desist from the nefarious activities following the destruction of seized unwholesome products worth over N5billion in five months.
“The agency destroyed unwholesome medicines, expired processed food items and cosmetics worth N1,429,580,683.00 in Awka, the capital city of Anambra State, in March for South-South and South-East operations.
“In the same month, dangerous products worth N613,300,290.00 were destroyed in Kano while the agency moved to Gombe in May to destroy seized counterfeited and expired medicines, and food items worth N515,732.587 mopped up in the North-East by the Investigation and Enforcement officials of the Agency led by Kingsley Ejiofor.
“Fake and expired medicines and food products worth N2,482,600,290 seized in the South-West were destroyed in Sagamu, Ogun State last week.”
The NAFDAC boss, however, assured Nigerians that the agency would stop at nothing to apprehend the people who engage in the illicit business of endangering the lives of undiscerning consumers who patronize them.
In the same vein, Adeyeye pleaded with members of the National Assembly to pass the Counterfeit Medical Products Bill that will reinforce the NAFDAC’s fight against counterfeiting in Nigeria.
She warned that henceforth, there would be no hiding place for the merchants of death, who, she said derive joy in the unpatriotic act of circulating expired, falsified drugs and food products, putting the health of millions of Nigerians at risk.
