NAFDAC shuts down factory with fake registration certificate

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), said it has closed down a herbal manufacturing company located at Mile 12 area of Lagos for operating with a fake registration number.

Apart from closing down the company, the agency said it also arrested those behind the forgery after its enforcement team raided the factory allegedly owned by one Mr. Abubakar Ibrahim.

The acting Director General of NAFDAC, Mrs. Yetunde Oni, who disclosed this to journalists in Lagos, said the crime was uncovered following an intelligence report by the agency’s Pharmacovigilance and Post Marketing Surveillance Directorate on a facility suspected to be producing Lamjib Herbal Medicine using fake NAFDAC registration number.

Speaking at a press briefing on the recent enforcement activities of the agency, Oni said during interrogation, the suspect claimed that the product was duly registered with NAFDAC and even tendered registration certificate to the investigators.

Oni who was represented by the agency’s Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Mr. Kingsley Ejiofor, noted that investigation further revealed that the NAFDAC registration certificate was fake.

She explained that Mr. Yahaya Tanimu in collaboration with two others: Mr. Abubakar Ibrahim (aka Lamido) and Idris Adamu (prime suspect) carried out the act.

“Adamu, who is based in Sokoto, was said to have designed the fake NAFDAC certificate using a computer, printed and way billed it to Ibrahim at Kaduna who filled all necessary information and signed. He further confessed to have received N100, 000.00 from the N150, 000.00 given by the client. Investigation is ongoing and the case will be prosecuted”, Oni stated.

She also revealed that following a tip off by a concerned citizen, NAFDAC enforcement officers raided Tasty Time Nigeria Ltd, located at Ipaja over fake and expired food products

“On arrival, the offending product, with 17 other unregistered products was seen in the company’s warehouse and factory, both in different locations within the same area. The Managing Director could not produce evidence of registration of any of the products with NAFDAC.

“The company is producing Tasty Time Glucozeaid Energy Drink which is a pass-off to the registered Lucozade Energy Drink. Also of note is the fact that the company also clandestinely copied the label and artwork of Lucozade Energy drink and inserted the NAFDAC registration number of one of their products with expired certificate as the NAFDAC registration number of the Glucozaid Energy Drink,” Oni explained.

The NAFDAC boss also said the agency carried out some investigation into illegal distribution and sales of suspected counterfeit Read – a-Dream insecticides and hair relaxers in Edo and Delta states during the same period.

She affirmed that the agency was taking steps to arrest the situation of use of fake NAFDAC registration numbers on regulated products, forgery of NAFDAC documents and other surreptitious activities on finished products through renewed enforcement drive and post registration/market surveillance.

She further disclosed that the agency has over 60 cases at various stages of prosecution in the courts.