The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has strongly condemned the violent assault on its enforcement officials during a regulatory operation at the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex on Thursday, October 30.
In a statement released on Tuesday and signed by the Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, the agency said the enforcement team—led by the Director of Investigation and Enforcement and Chairman of the Federal Task Force—was on a routine operation to curb the sale of fake, substandard, and unwholesome products when they came under attack.
According to the statement, the exercise began peacefully but was abruptly disrupted by hired thugs armed with dangerous weapons, who vandalised operational vehicles belonging to NAFDAC and other security agencies.
“The attackers demanded to know the identity of the Director and went on to vandalise about ten operational vehicles belonging to NAFDAC and other supporting security personnel,” the statement read in part.
NAFDAC noted that credible intelligence indicated the attack was premeditated and targeted at senior officials, including the Director of Investigation and Enforcement. The agency also alleged that the market’s chief security officer instructed cluster leaders to lock all gates within the complex, effectively trapping the enforcement team at the height of the assault.
Before the disruption, several cartons of counterfeit, banned, and unwholesome products had already been seized in accordance with the Counterfeit and Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, Cap. C.34 LFN 2004.
NAFDAC commended the police and military personnel attached to the operation for their swift intervention, which helped prevent casualties.
“NAFDAC will not be intimidated or deterred from fulfilling its mandate of safeguarding the health of the nation,” the agency affirmed.
PUNCH Online earlier reported that NAFDAC destroyed more than 80 containers of fake and substandard medicines and food products during the same enforcement exercise at the Trade Fair market.
Speaking at a press briefing on Saturday, the Director of Investigation and Enforcement and Chairman of the Federal Task Force, Mr. Martins Iluyomade, described the attack as a grave threat to regulatory operations.
“Enforcement has become increasingly dangerous for our officials, but it’s a job that must be done,” Iluyomade said, revealing that about 10 operational vehicles, valued at over ₦25 billion, were vandalised during the incident.
