The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has decried the violent disruption of its enforcement operation at the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex, where thugs reportedly vandalised operational vehicles worth more than N25 billion.
According to the agency, the assault occurred during a routine raid led by the Director of Investigation and Enforcement and Chairman of the Federal Task Force.
The operation was aimed at cracking down on the sale of counterfeit and unwholesome products before it was violently interrupted.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, said the incident began peacefully but later turned chaotic when hired thugs armed with dangerous weapons attacked the enforcement officers and damaged several vehicles belonging to NAFDAC and other supporting security agencies.
“Credible intelligence suggests that the assault was premeditated and targeted at harming senior NAFDAC officials, including the Director (Investigation & Enforcement,” the statement read in part.
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NAFDAC further alleged that the market’s chief security officer ordered cluster leaders to lock all gates within the complex, effectively trapping the team and blocking their exit as the violence escalated.
Before the disruption, the agency’s operatives had already intercepted several cartons of counterfeit, banned, and substandard products in line with the Counterfeit and Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, Cap. C.34 LFN 2004.
The agency commended the swift intervention of police and military officers attached to the operation for preventing what could have been a deadly situation.
Speaking later at a press briefing, the Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Mr. Martins Iluyomade, described the incident as one of the most dangerous confrontations NAFDAC officials have faced in recent years.
“Enforcement has gotten that dangerous for our officials, but someone has to do it,” he said.
Iluyomade also confirmed that over 80 containers of fake and substandard products were confiscated during the operation.
Despite the loss, the agency has vowed to press on with its regulatory duties, insisting that it will not be cowed by acts of intimidation.
