The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has shut down 18 warehouses in Bida, Niger State, after uncovering large quantities of expired food and beverage products said to be worth more than N100 million.
In a statement released on Thursday, the agency said the action followed the discovery made by its investigation and enforcement team, which acted on credible intelligence.
According to NAFDAC, the affected warehouses are situated near Ndazabo White House along Minna Road and behind the Bida Modern Market.
Items recovered during the raid included expired non-alcoholic beverages, dairy milk, candies, bottled water and pasta, some of which were already packaged for distribution.
According to the agency, about 80,000 packets of expired non-alcoholic drinks, 5,000 packets of dairy milk, 16,000 packets of bottled water, 28 cartons of pasta and other assorted expired products were uncovered during the operation.
Managers of the affected warehouses were arrested for interrogation, during which preliminary findings linked the facilities to a company identified as BY Ventures.
NAFDAC officials then extended their operation to supermarkets owned by the company in Minna, where additional expired products and counterfeit Goya oil were allegedly found.
Both supermarkets were subsequently sealed, while Yusuf Nadabo, the managing director of the company, was invited for further questioning.
The agency said he admitted ownership of the expired products during interrogation.
NAFDAC said investigations are ongoing and that appropriate regulatory sanctions would be imposed at the conclusion of the process to serve as a deterrent to others.
