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Summary
NAFDAC shut down 150 shops in Eziukwu Market, Aba, during a two-day raid that revealed counterfeit goods, including food and beverages, worth ₦5 billion. Officials criticised market leaders for failing to honour an agreement to expose counterfeiters, and the agency pledged continued efforts to protect public health and ensure compliance.
In a sweeping enforcement operation, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has shut down 150 shops at Eziukwu Market in Aba, Abia State, following the discovery of large-scale production and distribution of counterfeit and expired goods valued at ₦5 billion.
The two-day operation, conducted on Dec. 16 and 17, 2024, uncovered a wide range of harmful products, including beverages, carbonated drinks, wines, spirits, vegetable oils, and revalidated food items such as noodles, powdered milk, and yoghurt. Officials from NAFDAC described the market as a hub for counterfeit and substandard goods, with serious implications for public health.
Dr. Martins Iluyomade, NAFDAC’s Director for the South-East Zone, expressed dismay at the persistence of illegal activities in the market despite a previous undertaking signed by market leaders in December 2023 to expose counterfeiters. “The continued disregard for the agreement to combat counterfeit products is unacceptable,” he stated.
NAFDAC destroyed the seized items and vowed to intensify efforts to eradicate counterfeit goods. The agency’s Director-General, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, reaffirmed NAFDAC’s zero-tolerance stance against such practices and emphasised its unwavering commitment to safeguarding public health. She called for collaborative efforts to find a permanent solution to the proliferation of counterfeit products in Eziukwu Market and beyond.
