The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has dismantled a large-scale illicit operation involving expired and fake chemicals valued at over N1 billion in the Alapere area of Ketu, Lagos.
The enforcement action, carried out by NAFDAC’s Investigation and Enforcement Directorate, led to the arrest of three suspects and the sealing of three warehouses where the prohibited substances were being stored and distributed.
Dr Martins Iluyomade, Director of Investigation and Enforcement, who led the operation, disclosed that the seized materials included expired food-grade chemicals, industrial fertilisers, flavours, and pharmaceutical raw ingredients, all of which pose risks to public health.
“This intervention is part of our broader effort to safeguard the health of Nigerians,” Iluyomade stated. “What we uncovered was a sophisticated distribution network masquerading as a legitimate business while trafficking in dangerous, expired materials.”
He emphasized that many of the confiscated chemicals were meant for products intended for human consumption, thereby making their continued circulation particularly hazardous.
“One of the major violations here is the handling of expired raw materials used in consumables. The public is at risk when such substances make their way into everyday products,” he explained.
Among the items recovered were fertilisers that, under national security protocols, require clearance from the Office of the National Security Adviser before distribution.
Investigators also traced some of the expired additives back to a legally registered Nigerian company, raising concerns about regulatory compliance and internal control failures within licensed operations.
“We will hold everyone accountable, both the illegal operators and the companies that may have supplied them,” Iluyomade vowed.
Dr Leonard Omokpariola, Director of Chemical Evaluation and Research at NAFDAC, who also inspected the site, condemned the unsanitary and hazardous conditions under which the substances were stored.
“We found caustic soda, urea-based fertilisers, propylene glycol, and metronidazole benzoate, all kept in conditions that are not only unregulated but outright dangerous,” Omokpariola said.
According to NAFDAC, preliminary investigations indicate that the entire illicit network was being coordinated by a single person, now under scrutiny by the agency.
The suspects are expected to face prosecution, as NAFDAC reaffirms its commitment to intensifying its nationwide clampdown on the distribution and misuse of unsafe chemicals.