The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has shut down three major assorted raw food warehouses in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti capital.

In a statement on Friday, the NAFDAC state coordinator, Stella Dosumu,  said the warehouses were closed over various infractions, allegedly targeted at short-changing unsuspecting members of the public.

According to her, the closure is a continuation of the NAFDAC director general’s efforts to rid society of fake, counterfeit, and substandard medicinal and wholesome items in Ekiti.

“The closure took place on Wednesday, March 11, for infractions of the agency’s laws,” Ms Dosumu said. “The action followed a tip-off by a concerned citizen that illegal re-bagging of rice was being done in some warehouses.”

“This led the state coordinator and her team to conduct surveillance  on  the implicated warehouses to confirm the information.”

Ms Dosumu said the finding revealed that several bails of empty bags of popular local and foreign rice were in the warehouses, while different rice brands had already been re-bagged.

She said sewing and sealing machines were also found in the warehouses.

According to her, the managers of the warehouses refused to disclose the source of the rice that was being re-bagged; hence, the status of the rice could not be ascertained.

“In the interim, the bails of empty bags of different brands of rice found in the warehouses were mopped; samples of the re-bagged rice were taken for laboratory analysis while the warehouses were shut down.

“This is pending the outcome of the laboratory reports before further regulatory actions can be determined,’’ she said.

Ms Dosumu reassured the public that the agency would continue to pursue its mandate of safeguarding citizens’ health by ensuring drug and food safety in Nigeria.

This is coming just as the agency’s director-general, Mojisola Adeyeye, warned there was no hiding place for criminals.

(NAN)