The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has warned Nigerians to desist from attacking its staff while carrying out enforcement operations against substandard drugs and falsified goods, News About Nigeria reports.
The Director of Investigation and Enforcement of NAFDAC, Mr Shaba Mohammed, gave this warning while speaking in an interview in Abuja on Wednesday.
He noted that some Nigerians have formed the habit of obstructing the agency’s personnel and preventing them from carrying out their operations, adding that some of the drug hawkers and touts who attacked the enforcement team of the agency in February have been arraigned in court.
Mohammed, who is also the Chairman, Federal Task Force on Fake and Counterfeit Products, also stated that some of those involved in the attack are facing trial before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of Federal High Court, Abuja, adding that the arraignment will serve as deterrent to those with similar intentions.
“Those arraigned recently in court are part of those who attacked NAFDAC officials while on enforcement duty some months ago.
“Arraigning them in court is to pay for their sins, this is also to advise the public to desist from attacking NAFDAC staff while on duty,” he said.
“I will not say there are no counterfeit products in circulation. But such product are brought into the country by unscrupulous elements who do not mean well for the country.
“The public should support NAFDAC to sanitise the system. Anyone caught in such act will be prosecuted thoroughly because that is obstruction of Federal Government team in performing its jobs.
“Sales of drug in market places, hawking or in moving vehicle is actually prohibited by NAFDAC law,” he stated.
He further noted that criminals who bring in counterfeit drugs use hawkers to push them into circulation, adding that NAFDAC will not stop arresting hawkers until the whole system is sanitised.
According to him, arresting the hawkers would help NAFDAC track the sources of counterfeit products, whether imported or produced locally.
