NAFDAC Officials Attacked During Operation In Lagos, Ogun States

National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC and mobile Police men attached to its enforcement directorate were yesterday attacked by traders and touts in Lagos and Ogun States.

The attacked enforcement teams were said to be on a nationwide raid for fake and unregistered products in major markets in the states when the traders and touts swooped on them, seized some of the products already evacuated by the teams and beat up one of the Agency’s staff identified as Miss Evelyn.

According to an eye witness, the exercise which was almost successful turned rowdy when the members of the Union at markets trooped out in their hundreds with the help of ‘area boys’ prevented the enforcement team from evacuating the offending MOI Vegetable oil and other products seized from the market.

From Mile 12, to Ikorodu, Sango Otta, Alaba-arago in Ojo, Boundary market in Ajegunle, Suru Alaba and Oke-arin markets, there were pockets of attack on the officials despite the presence of armed mobile police men attached to the teams.

At the Ikorodu market where four shops were sealed, 438 gallons of fake vegetable oil valued at N6, 576,000, and two traders arrested, the officials narrowly escaped mob attack as the traders resorted to carrying all forms of weapons for a free- for- all -fight.

At Sango market in Ogun State, where NAFDAC officials were assaulted by the market Union members, six shops were sealed and one of the staff of the Agency by name Evelyn was beaten up.

At Alabarago Market in Ojo LGA where the team forced open a warehouse stock with fake products and owners absconded on the sight of NAFDAC’s official, one of the Mobile Police men attached to the team was attacked and almost lost his gun to the mob.

Briefing journalists shortly after the raids, at Boundary market in Ajegunle area of Lagos, NAFDAC’s Chief Regulatory Officer, Enforcement, Mr. Joseph Folorunsho Idowu, regretted that the exercise was marred by pockets of violence saying, “the Agency stormed the markets following intelligence report over indiscriminate circulation of unregistered vegetable oil in the Nigerian markets.”

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