More than seven weeks since the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) said it invited the management of Oriental Supermarket, Abuja, for selling expired and unwholesome products to Nigerians, it is yet to provide an update.
On January 8, NAFDAC stated that the owners of the supermarket, who are Chinese nationals, had violated several food and drug regulations. The agency found that the store put up expired products for consumer purchase.
The supermarket was located in Azba Mall, Durban Street, Abuja
The regulatory agency also said that more than 90 per cent of the products on display in the store were written in Chinese without English translations.
READ MORE: Chinese-Owned Oriental Supermarket Sold Expired Goods to Nigerians. NAFDAC Chose to ‘Invite’ Them for Questioning
Shaba Mohammed, the agency’s director of investigations and enforcement, who led the inspection, also accused the supermarket of bypassing the NAFDAC while importing the goods into Nigeria. He claimed the products would have been intercepted if they were sighted at any of the ports.
Mohammed said NAFDAC would continue an ongoing investigation into the activities of the supermarket and would take regulatory action against them if they were found guilty.
“It is not every case we charge to court; we will take regulatory action against the supermarket, which may be an administrative action,” Mohammed told journalists.
However, nearly two months after NAFDAC made this claim and the owners of Oriental Supermarket were invited for questioning, it has yet to provide updates on the case.
NAFDAC has failed to reveal the identities of the supermarket’s owners or management.
FIJ checked the social media pages of the agency and found no updates on the case, including on their official website.
The actions of the supermarket violate the Counterfeit and Fake Drugs (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, which prohibits the sale of expired products in Nigeria, and it is punishable by a prison term of five to 15 years, a fine of N500,000 or both.
The Drugs and Related Products (Registration, etc.) Act also states that anyone found selling unregistered but genuine drugs faces a fine of N50,000 and a jail term of up to two years.
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Meanwhile, in similar cases of expired product discoveries made by NAFDAC, the agency would often arrest the owners of the stores or warehouses immediately. Like in Kano, Rivers, Abia, Abuja and others.
When FIJ called the agency on Thursday for an update on the investigation into the Chinese-owned supermarket, the complaint desk stated that they had no knowledge of the case and suggested visiting their Abuja office for more information.
The post NAFDAC Silent 7 Weeks After ‘Inviting’ Chinese Supermarket That Sold Expired, Unwholesome Products to Nigerians appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.