The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has taken decisive action by sealing a factory and eight shops in Nasarawa State involved in the packaging, selling, and distribution of counterfeit rice.
The crackdown, according to NAFDAC, is part of ongoing efforts to protect consumers from harmful and substandard food products.
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The agency emphasized its commitment to ensuring the safety and integrity of food products in the Nigerian market. Further investigations are ongoing to hold those responsible accountable for their actions.
The agency said it acted on an intelligence report to uncover an operation on Thursday involving fake rice products worth five billion naira.
The factory, whose name was given as Ninjur Ventures, located at 44 Abacha Road in Karu and operating behind a residential property, was found to be packaging and distributing counterfeit rice under various popular brand names.
Products seized included fake bags of rice and empty sacks branded as Royal Stallion, Big Bull, Mama’s Choice, Optimum, and Ultimate Gold, in 25 kg and 50 kg sizes.
Some relevant documents linked to the operation were also recovered from the factory.
In the sting operation, NAFDAC also arrested a factory worker who denied involvement and claimed that the factory had ceased operations two days earlier.
The suspect further alleged that the branded bags found in the warehouse did not belong to the facility, the factory proprietor was not at the site at the time of the raid.
In the same development, the agency had also sealed off eight shops on Old Karu Road, which were also alleged to be packaging and selling counterfeit rice.
The Director of NAFDAC in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Kenneth Azikiwe, who led the operation said that the enforcement was part of a nationwide crackdown directed by NAFDAC’s Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, aimed at eliminating counterfeit food products from circulation, particularly during the festive season.
“This exercise shows the extent of counterfeiting in food products. The packaging materials we discovered reveal how these criminal elements deceive unsuspecting Nigerians into believing they are purchasing genuine products.
“NAFDAC maintains a zero-tolerance policy for counterfeiting and ensures that only safe, high-quality food products reach consumers,” he said.
Azikiwe disclosed that complaints from manufacturers, combined with intelligence reports, led to the operation, saying, “These brands are being counterfeited, and we’ve received complaints from manufacturers.
“Through intelligence, we traced these activities to specific locations, such as the Karu factory where we found packaging materials for various brands being used to produce fake rice.”
He also revealed that approximately 1,600 bags of fake rice, mostly in 25 kg and 50 kg sizes, were confiscated from the factory and other locations, bringing the total street value of seized counterfeit products to about N5 billion.
He further revealed that NAFDAC had already seized over 400 bags from Wuse Market in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital in an earlier operation.
“The individuals involved will face the full force of the law in line with NAFDAC regulations,” he vowed.
He went further to advise consumers to purchase food products only from reputable sources and to verify the authenticity of items by checking for proper registration, batch information, and quality.
“Nigerians should ensure that the food products they buy are registered by NAFDAC and purchased from trusted distributors or stores to avoid falling victim to counterfeit goods,” he warned.
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