By Uzair Adam
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has sealed four warehouses and seized banned chemicals worth N560 million during an enforcement operation in Kano State.
The agency also arrested two suspects over the alleged illegal storage, distribution and sale of prohibited chemicals.
Mr Emmanuel Andrew-Baba, NAFDAC’s Deputy Director of Investigation and Enforcement, disclosed this on Thursday in Kano while speaking during the operation.
He said the exercise was aimed at enforcing the ban on Paraeforce, popularly known as Paraquat, a highly toxic chemical prohibited by the agency.
According to him, NAFDAC banned the importation, distribution and use of Paraeforce-based products in 2022 because of their harmful effects on human health and the environment.
Andrew-Baba explained that exposure to the chemical could cause respiratory and cardiac failure, as well as other serious health complications, including Parkinson’s disease.
He added that the chemical could remain in the soil and contaminate the environment, particularly water sources, thereby posing significant public health risks.
He said NAFDAC began enforcing the ban in January 2024, noting that the quantity of prohibited products discovered during the latest operation was alarming.
The director said the inspection team visited more than 10 warehouses and uncovered suspected illegal products in several facilities.
He disclosed that a warehouse at Panisau was sealed after controlled chemicals suspected to be used in the production of illicit drugs were discovered.
“At Jaba, another house allegedly used for illegal manufacturing and repackaging of chemicals was also sealed,” he said.
Andrew-Baba said the operators used cartons of chemicals sourced from a company in Lagos and the Niger Republic, adding that a sealing machine and other packaging materials were recovered.
He assured that enforcement activities would continue until all illegal stocks were evacuated.
The director further disclosed that NAFDAC sealed another warehouse and arrested two persons, including its owner, after discovering 2,983 cartons of Paraeforce products valued at more than N200 million.
“In another warehouse, the team discovered over 8,000 cartons of Crownquat, another Paraquat-based product containing 2.76 grammes of Paraquat dichloride, worth over N360 million, and another product banned by NAFDAC, Chlopyrifos,” he said.
He added that the warehouses had been sealed and their owners would be invited for further investigation.
The agency also seized 183 cartons of unregistered Dynewell syrup imported from Ghana, which were discovered in an uncompleted building in the Sharada area of Kano metropolis.
Andrew-Baba urged Nigerians to desist from using or distributing banned chemicals, warning that exposure to Paraquat could be fatal as there was no known antidote.
He reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to sustaining enforcement operations to safeguard public health and protect the environment.
