NAFDAC Raids Aba Market, Seizes Fake Consumer Goods, Warns Against Dangerous Products

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raided the popular Eziukwu Market (Cemetery Market) Aba, Abia State, and confiscated huge haul of fake products produced and sold in the market.

NAFDAC Director in the South East zone, Martins Iluyomade, who led the market operation that lasted several hours, said the confiscated fake products were akin to “weapons of mass destruction”.

The unwholesome products include different brands of wines, whiskey, yoghurt, carbonated drinks, chips, dry gin and many other foreign and indigenous drinks all produced at a dirty area of the market.

Aside producing the fake products, the traders also have a section of the market where expired products have their expiry dates re-validated for redistribution to unsuspecting consumers.

The NAFDAC Director noted the agency carried out similar operation last year at the same market and stressed that all plans have been made to get the culprits, yet the faking of consumer products has persisted.

According to him, the market leadership at  Eziukwu had in December 2023, during the last operation, signed an undertaking with NAFDAC to help identify those involved in the nefarious activities.

But Iluyomade regretted that despite the commitment to change their ways the product fakers have remained recalcitrant and hell-bent on making money by endangering the lives of their fellow citizens.

He said the “market leadership has questions to answer” over the persisting business of faking.

“We were here last year and we’re back here on credible intelligence that the people are recovering in their nefarious business. I’m short of words with what I’m seeing here,” Iluyomade said, adding, “I feel like shedding tears”.

The zonal director said that those making the fake products appear good at it hence, “It’s quite difficult for you to know the difference. I call it destruction because what they make here are weapons of mass destruction. They’re killing people en masse.”

He said: “There are measures put in place to deal with what is happening here henceforth. I’ll not say it out here, but be rest assured that there are measures already put in place even to the highest level of government in the state against these activities.

“People cannot continue to kill their fellow citizens in the name of making money”.

Iluyomade warned consumers against patronising fake products to save their own lives from being decimated by instalments.

“Our message is that everybody must shine their eyes. Let them be careful in this season of merriment to avoid damage of kidney and liver.

“Let them buy registered products from accredited distributors only. They’re everywhere, so people should take out time and find them,” he said.

 Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo

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