The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has sealed a factory and eight shops in Nasarawa State for packaging, selling, and distributing counterfeit rice.
Acting on an intelligence report, the agency’s Investigation and Enforcement Taskforce uncovered an operation on Thursday on Thursday involving fake rice products worth an estimate.
The factory, Ninjur Ventures, located at 44 Abacha Road in Karu and hidden behind a residential property, was found to be packaging and distributing counterfeit rice under various popular brand names.
Products seized included fake bags of rice and empty sacks branded as Royal Stallion, Big Bull, Mama’s Choice, Optimum, and Ultimate Gold, in 25 kg and 50 kg sizes.
During the raid, NAFDAC apprehended a factory worker who denied involvement and claimed that the factory had ceased operations two days earlier.
She further alleged that the branded bags found in the warehouse did not belong to the facility, while the factory owner was absent at the time of the operation.
In addition to the factory, NAFDAC sealed eight shops on Old Karu Road, which were also implicated in packaging and selling counterfeit rice.
Speaking after the raid, the Director of NAFDAC in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Kenneth Azikiwe, emphasised that the enforcement was part of a nationwide operation directed by NAFDAC’s Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, aimed at eliminating counterfeit food products from circulation, particularly during the festive season.
“This exercise shows the extent of counterfeiting in food products. The packaging materials we discovered reveal how these criminal elements deceive unsuspecting Nigerians into believing they are purchasing genuine products.
“NAFDAC maintains a zero-tolerance policy for counterfeiting and ensures that only safe, high-quality food products reach consumers,” he said.
Azikiwe disclosed that complaints from manufacturers, combined with intelligence reports, led to the operation, saying, “These brands are being counterfeited, and we’ve received complaints from manufacturers.
“Through intelligence, we traced these activities to specific locations, such as the Karu factory where we found packaging materials for various brands being used to produce fake rice.”
He also revealed that approximately 1,600 bags of fake rice, mostly in 25 kg and 50 kg sizes, were confiscated from the factory and other locations, bringing the total street value of seized counterfeit products to about N5 billion.
Revealing that NAFDAC had already seized over 400 bags from Wuse Market in an earlier operation, Azikiwe said, “This is a nationwide operation, and it will continue because these criminal activities persist.
“The individuals involved will face the full force of the law in line with NAFDAC regulations.”
He, however, advised consumers to purchase food products only from reputable sources and to verify the authenticity of items by checking for proper registration, batch information, and quality.
“Nigerians should ensure that the food products they buy are registered by NAFDAC and purchased from trusted distributors or stores to avoid falling victim to counterfeit goods,” he added.
