By Precious Owolabi, Ado-Ekiti

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has shut down three major assorted raw food warehouses in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, over various infractions allegedly aimed at short-changing unsuspecting members of the public.

This comes as the Director-General of the agency, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, warned that there would be no hiding place for those she described as “merchants of death” who trade in regulated products illegally.

NAFDAC’s State Coordinator in Ekiti, Mrs Stella Dosumu, disclosed in Ado-Ekiti on Friday that, as part of the agency’s ongoing efforts to rid society of fake, counterfeit, and substandard medicinal and food items, three major food warehouses in Ado-Ekiti had been shut down.

“The closure took place on Wednesday, 11th March 2025, due to serious infractions of the agency’s laws.

“The action followed a tip-off by a concerned citizen that illegal re-bagging of rice was taking place in some warehouses, after which the State Coordinator and her team conducted surveillance activities at the implicated warehouses.”

Continuing, the statement said, “At the time of the visit, the team confirmed the information provided by the whistleblower.

“The highlights of the findings revealed that several bales of empty bags of popular local and foreign rice brands were in the warehouses, while already bagged different brands of rice, along with sewing and sealing machines, were found in the warehouses.”

According to the statement, the managers of the warehouses refused to disclose the source of the rice being re-bagged, making it impossible to ascertain its status.

“It is a dangerous trend that is capable of compromising the health of consumers, as well as misleading labelling information.

“In the interim, the bales of empty bags of different brands found in the warehouses were confiscated, samples of the re-bagged rice were taken for laboratory analysis, and the warehouses have been shut 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 its mandate of safeguarding the health of citizens by ensuring both drug and food safety in Nigeria,” the statement added.