The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control on Monday raided the New Central Market and the old market in Katsina metropolis.
The agency, in a statement on Monday by its spokesman, Anslem Okonkwor, said the raid was an ongoing nationwide mop up action to sanitise Nigerian markets and rid them of banned and illegally imported regulated products.
The statement read in part, “The operation to seize unregistered products in the two markets began simultaneously around 11am when NAFDAC operatives stormed the markets.
“The latest action, which is in line with the country’s move towards protecting and increasing the consumption of vitamin A fortified food, led to the uncovering of imported and unregistered products such as macaroni, spaghetti, vegetable oil, sugar and salt, among others, in about 12 shops screened in both markets. The goods are worth millions of naira.”
Speaking on the operation, Assistant Director (Enforcement) and leader of the team, Mr. Bitrus Fraden, explained that NAFDAC was only carrying out its routine responsibility to measure the level of compliance with its guidelines against importation, stocking and sale of banned food products.
Fraden said, “If we are unable to stop them at the borders due to a number of factors, we are duty bound to stop them from the inside and that is what we are doing. It is part of our mandate to ensure that what is on sale even inside the markets should be with the approval of NAFDAC.”
He said the agency had earlier mounted surveillance on the markets which revealed that a lot of the products in the markets came into the country illegally and posed health risk to the citizens.
He said, “What we discovered is that a lot of sugar, macaronis and spaghetti or pastries came in illegally and these things do not conform to guidelines and regulations.”
Fraden urged traders in the country to buy only genuine products from manufacturers or distributors to avoid unpleasant consequences.
