NAFDAC arrests seven traders, seals firm's in Edo

NAFDAC arrests seven traders, seals firms in Edo 19 Aug 2015 9:12 PM The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control on Wednesday arrested seven persons for allegedly producing and selling adulterated and unregistered products in Benin, the Edo State capital. The suspects were arrested during a routine enforcement operation of the agency in major parts of the state capital. The agency sealed one Uwa Oil Industries on Amadasun Street, off Mission road, and another  company on Forestry road, over the alleged production and sale of adulterated vegetable oil in an unhygienic condition‎. One of the suspects, who identified himself as Mr. Omoregbe, claimed that the company (Uwa Oil Industries) was only a distributor of the product, which he said was purchased from other registered companies. But the State Coordinator of the agency, Mr. David West, described the claim as intangible, adding that the product, which was packaged in over 250 jerry cans, were not labelled to ascertain their NAFDAC status. He stated that the environmental condition of the production site was unsuitable for such an operation. ‎At the Oba Market in the city centre, a car, laden with herbal products, suspected to be unregistered was confiscated, while the seller was arrested. The agency also arrest two other traders for the sale of ‎assorted wine and other alcoholic drinks of various brands, allegedly distributed and sold with NAFDAC registration numbers. One of the traders, who identified herself as Mrs. Charity, told our correspondent that the ‎products were purchased as imported good but claimed not to be aware of that they were not registered. But West told journalists that‎ the products were confiscated due to the health risks they posed to consumers as many of them had labels with foreign inscriptions. He vowed that the suspects would be prosecuted after a thorough investigation. Earlier, the Chairman of the Edo State Task Force on Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods, Mr. Godwin Okonofua, said the state government would continue to cooperate with the federal agency to check the spread of fake products for the safety of the people of the state.