By John Odunayo
The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control, (NAFDAC) has shut three major assorted raw food warehouses in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital.
NAFDAC Coordinator in Ekiti State, Mrs Stella Dosumu, said that the warehouses were closed over varied degrees of infractions, allegedly targeted at short-changing unsuspecting members of the public.
This is coming just as the Director General of the agency, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, warned that there is no hiding place for those she described as ‘merchants of death’ in the country, who may have chosen to trade in regulated products, illegally.
Dosumu said in a statement, made available in Ado Ekiti on Friday that “NAFDAC DG, in continuation of her efforts to rid the society of fake, counterfeit and substandard medicinal and wholesome items, has closed down three major food warehouses in Ado-Ekiti Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital.
“The closure took place on Wednesday, the 11th March, 2025, for serious infractions of the Agency’s laws.
“The action, followed a tip off, by a concerned citizen that illegal re-bagging of rice was being done in some warehouses, after which NAFDAC team, conducted surveillance activities to the implicated warehouses.
“At the time of visit, the team confirmed the information, given by the whistleblower. The highlights of findings revealed that
several bails of empty bags of popular local and foreign rice were in the warehouses, while already bagged different brands of rice, including sewing and sealing machines were found in the warehouses”.
According to the statement, the managers at the warehouses, refused to disclose the source of the rice that were being rebagged, and hence, the status of the rice cannot be ascertained.
“It is a dangerous trend that is capable of compromising the health of the consumers, as well as misleading labeling information.
“In the interim, the bails of the empty bags of the different brands, found in the warehouses were mopped, samples of the rebagged rice were taken for laboratory analysis, and the warehouses have been closed down, pending the outcome of the laboratory reports, before further regulatory actions can be determined.
“The public is hereby reassured that the agency will continue to pursue her mandate of safeguarding the health of the citizens, by ensuring both drug and food safety in Nigeria”, the statement added.
