The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control has shut down three major assorted raw food warehouses in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, over rebagging of rice.
NAFDAC Coordinator in Ekiti State, Mrs. Stella Dosumu, said the warehouses were closed over various degrees of infractions, allegedly targeted at short-changing unsuspecting members of the public.
This is coming just as the Director General of the agency, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, warned that there is no hiding place for those she described as ‘merchants of death’ in the country, who may have chosen to trade in regulated products, illegally.
Dosumu said in a statement made available in Ado Ekiti on Friday that “NAFDAC DG, in continuation of her efforts to rid the society of fake, counterfeit and substandard medicinal and wholesome items, has closed down three major food warehouses in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital.
‘The closure took place on Wednesday, the 11th March, 2025, for serious infractions of the Agency’s laws.
‘The action, followed a tip-off by a concerned citizen that illegal re-bagging of rice was being done in some warehouses, after which the NAFDAC team conducted surveillance activities at the implicated warehouses.
‘At the time of visit, the team confirmed the information, given by the whistleblower. The highlights of findings revealed that several bales of empty bags of popular local and foreign rice were in the warehouses, while already bagged different brands of rice, including sewing and sealing machines, were found in the warehouses.’
The statement added that the managers at the warehouses refused to disclose the source of the rice that was being rebagged, and hence, the status of the rice cannot be ascertained.
‘It is a dangerous trend that is capable of compromising the health of the consumers, as well as misleading labelling information.
‘In the interim, the bails of the empty bags of the different brands, found in the warehouses, were mopped, samples of the rebagged rice were taken for laboratory analysis, and the warehouses have been closed down, pending the outcome of the laboratory reports, before further regulatory actions can be determined.
‘The public is hereby reassured that the agency will continue to pursue her mandate of safeguarding the health of the citizens, by ensuring both drug and food safety in Nigeria,’ the statement added.
