The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has sealed four warehouses and seized banned chemicals worth N560 million in Kano metropolis.
The agency also arrested two persons over the alleged illegal storage, distribution and sale of prohibited chemicals in the state.
Mr Emmanuel Andrew, Deputy Director, Investigation and Enforcement at NAFDAC, disclosed this during an enforcement operation in Kano on Thursday.
He said the operation was aimed at enforcing the ban on Paraeforce, popularly known as Paraquat.
Andrew explained that NAFDAC banned the importation, distribution and use of Paraeforce-based products in 2022 because of their harmful effects on human health and the environment.
He said exposure to the chemical could cause respiratory and cardiac failure, as well as other serious health complications, including Parkinson’s disease.
According to him, Paraeforce persists in the soil and can contaminate water, thereby posing serious environmental and public health risks.
Andrew said the agency began enforcing the ban in January 2024, adding that the volume of prohibited products uncovered during the latest operation was alarming.
He said the inspection team visited more than 10 warehouses and discovered suspected illegal products in some of the facilities.
“We sealed a warehouse at Panisau, where controlled chemicals suspected to be used in the production of illicit drugs were discovered.
“At Jaba, another house allegedly used for illegal manufacturing and repackaging of chemicals was also sealed,” he said.
Andrew said the operators used cartons of chemicals sourced from another company in Lagos and Niger Republic. He added that a sealing machine and other packaging materials were also recovered.
He said enforcement operations would continue until all illegal stocks were evacuated.
The director said the team sealed another warehouse and arrested two persons, including its owner, after discovering 2,983 cartons of Paraeforce products valued at more than N200 million.
“In another warehouse, the team discovered over 8,000 cartons of Crownquat, another Paraquat-based product containing 2.76 grammes of Paraquat dichloride, worth over N360 million, as well as another product banned by NAFDAC, Chlopyrifos.
“The warehouses have been sealed. The agency will invite the owners for further investigation,” he said.
Andrew added that the agency seized 183 cartons of unregistered Dynewell syrup imported from Ghana. The products were discovered in an uncompleted building in the Sharada area of Kano metropolis.
He urged Nigerians to avoid using or distributing banned chemicals, warning that exposure to Paraquat could be fatal as there was no known antidote.
He assured the public that NAFDAC would sustain its enforcement operations to protect human health and the environment.
( NAN)
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