Efforts of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to get the country rid of fake and expired drugs have started yielding fruits with arrest of no fewer than five suspects, including an alleged notorious medicines and narcotic drugs merchant, known in the underworld counterfeit drugs trade as “Emma to-match”.
This was disclosed on Thursday, during a press briefing in Lagos by the NAFDAC Director General, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye.
According to NAFDAC DG, two of the suspects who were busted by NAFDAC's Eagled eyes, and known to be notorious for importation, distribution and sale of unregistered and expired G-Man organic energy drink, are already in the Agency custody.
The suspect who would soon appear in a law Court are One Mr Okeke Udeze Francis of No 28 Otigba Crescent, G.R.A Onitsha, Anambra state and Mr Uchenna Nwachi.
The two others who have been arraigned at Federal High Court in Awka Anambra state, are two Mr Anayo Okoye and Mr Emmanuel Obidike.
The text of the briefing:
A case of importation, distribution and sale of unregistered and expired G-Man organic energy drink was investigated by the Investigation and Enforcement Directorate in Asaba, Delta state. One Mr Okeke Udeze Francis of No 28 Otigba Crescent, G.R.A Onitsha, Anambra state was arrested with expired G-Man organic energy drink in Onitsha, Anambra state. Further investigation led to a warehouse in Aba, Abia state where evidence of revalidation of the expiry date of the drink was established. The case was subsequently transferred to the office of the Director, Investigation and Enforcement Directorate in Lagos where Mr Okeke admitted to dealing on the product (G-Man energy drink) and he stated that he got the product from one Mr Uchenna Nwachi through one Mr Collins in Aba, Abia state. Following this revelation, investigation was intensified to get the other suspects arrested.
Further investigation revealed that the violative G-Man energy drink was manufactured in Germany and was imported into Nigeria when some of the products were already expired, and some were close to expiry (and later expired after importation). The expiry dates on the products when imported were 18/12/2020 and 18/12/2022. The violative products were sent to Nigeria by one Mr Paschal Emeka Udo, who is said to be based in the United Kingdom.
Mr Wilson John who was an accomplice in the case was later arrested after we extracted a video recording of him cleaning the original date markings on the products with the intent to affix an extended date marking on the G-Man energy drink.
This is a case of food fraud, where the suspects intentionally aspired to deceive its customers about the quality of the food they are purchasing, even though the food (G-Man) had gone past the best before date and the quality would have degraded.
Mr Uchenna Nwachi, who contracted out the revalidation of the product to Mr Wilson (a staff of the importer) was also arrested and in custody.
Two of the suspects including the importer of the products are still at large and efforts are still on to arrest them.
The suspects in custody will be charged to court.
ARREST Of MR EMMANUEL OBIDIKE, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF TOMATCH INVESTMENT LTD, ELECTRONIC MARKET, ONITSHA, A NOTORIOUS COUNTERFEIT MEDICINES AND NARCOTIC DRUGS MERCHANT,
Intelligence tracking of a suspected importer of fake Basslox capsules (ampicillin 250mg + cloxacillin 250mg) lead to the arrest of an infamous counterfeit medicines and narcotics drugs importer and distributor, Mr Emmanuel Obidike.
Painstaking surveillance and investigation on the reported case of Basslox capsules lead to the arrest of one Mr Anayo Okoye who eventually led us to Mr Emmanuel Obidike who is a notorious importer of counterfeit medicines. Mr Obidike is known in the underworld counterfeit drugs trade as “Emma to-match” which is a fall out of his criminal act of counterfeiting popular brands of drugs. Some international brands of drugs, packaging materials and security materials were recovered from the warehouse of Mr Obidike.
These include the following:
S/N
PRODUCT NAME
BATCH NO
MAN. DATE
EXPIRY DATE
NAFDAC REG. NO.
QUANTITY
1.
Combiart tabs 20mg/120mg (un-packed)
B. 7225119
NILL
02/2025
24 x 1600 blisters
2.
Combiart 20mg/120mg tablets
7225119E
10/2022
09/2025
A4-6700
24 X 8
3.
Combiart tabs leaflets
Nill
Nill
Nill
Nill
10 pieces
4.
Combiart tabs secondary packaging materials
7225119
Nill
Nill
A4-6700
120 pieces
5.
Augmentin tabs
625mg
562626
04/2021
04/2024
04-1928
14 x 29
6.
Augmentin tabs 625mg (unpacked)
562626
04/21
04/24
Nill
7 x 1244 sachets
7.
Augmentin secondary packaging materials and security holograms
562626
04/21
04/24
04-3397
105 pieces
8.
Coartem tabs 20mg/120mg
F2261
02/2022
02/2025
04-3275
24 x 30 x 10
9.
Coartem tabs 20mg/120mg (unpacked)
F2261
Nill
06/2024
Nill
10 x 24
10.
Coartem secondary packaging materials
F2261
02/22
02/25
04-3275
94 pieces
11.
Primolut – N tabs
5mg
000677/2961834
Nill
Nill
Nill
30 x 20 x 5
12.
Primolut – N secondary packaging materials
20161834
Nill
Nill
Nill
109 pieces
13.
Artesunate tabs
16001PS
16/5/2020
16/6/2023
04-3397
20 X 12 X 2
14.
Amoxil caps
500mg
A10767
10/22
9/27
04-2481
10 X 10 X 70
15.
Amoxy caps
500mg
AO23683
01/22
01/25
05-5232
10 x 10 x 27
16.
Amcloxin caps
A014145
01/22
06/24
04-4024
10 X 10 X 100
17.
Aldomet coated tabs
250mg
J174
09/22
09/25
Nill
10 x 10 x 44
18.
Kriscine tabs
KMPL1204
04/21
03/25
A4-6572
20 x 20
19.
New Divine chloramphenicol caps
NOP/CPA/0016
09/22
08/25
B4-2515
10 x 10 x 84
20.
Chlorpheniramine tabs
4mg
CM206
03/22
02/25
Nil
1000 x 35
The Marketing Authorization Holders of the international brands confirmed that the products recovered from Mr Emmanuel Obidike were not from their company and therefore were fake. The two suspects have been arraigned at Federal High Court in Awka Anambra state.
REVALIDATION OF EXPIRY DATES OF UNREGISTERED EXPIRED ANIMALS FEED PREMIX – NAFDAC SEALS WAREHOUSE WITH GOODS WORTH N1.9B IN ABUJA
On the 9th of June 2023, the Investigation and Enforcement Directorate stormed a warehouse belonging to Feed Avenue Limited in the Idu Industrial area of the Federal Capital Territory following an intelligence report. The company, belonging to a French national was revalidating the expiry dates of expired animal feeds premix which were not registered by NAFDAC. Some of the products and accessories found in the warehouse were as follows:
S.N
PRODUCT/ACCESSORY
QUANTITY
1
Fertility boost
1000 bags
2
Broiler premix
1000 bags
3
Feed boost
140 bags
4
Milk boost
80 bags
5
Layer premix
200 bags
6
Unlabelled finished products
52 bags
7
Defi tusk premium
1,080 bags
8
Layer premix colourant 2.5%
1000 bags
9
Premix pig
150 bag
10
Nigeria home polo
80 bags
11
Dry boost
40 bags
12
Empty 2mg international 35220 Chateaubourg bags
3,500 bags
13
Sealing machine
1 piece
14
Sowing machine
2 pieces
15
Sowing thread
2 pieces
16
Different labels
5,000 pieces
The warehouse manager who was on ground as at the time of visit gave the total value of the revalidated finished products at one billion and nine hundred million naira (N1,900,000,000.0) only. The warehouse was sealed and the warehouse manager was arrested. The French national who own the company refused to show up to honour the invitation that we extended to him as he immediately travelled out of Nigeria afterwards. Premixes are not intended for direct feeding of animals. They are complex mixtures of vitamins, minerals, trace elements and other feed additives that are incorporated at levels between 0.2% and 0.5% in the compound feed, manufacturing of which requires specific technology and is often performed by specialized companies. Premixes fall under food in the statutory grouping of NAFDAC regulated products, and are therefore registered as food. Feed Avenue Ltd is carrying out illegal production of unregistered food products and even committing a criminal act of revalidating expired products.
The products were sampled against the company and have been sent to NAFDAC laboratory for analysis after which appropriate sanction will be meted out to the company.
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