NAFDAC arrests suspects over alleged agro-chemicals adulteration

The National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in Niger has arrested two suspects in Mokwa Local Government Area of the state over alleged adulteration of agro-chemicals.

Mr Aniko Ibrahim, the state Coordinator of NAFDAC, disclosed this to our reporter in Minna on Monday.

“Before now we have been getting bad reports about adulteration of agro-chemicals in Niger state.

“Therefore we decided to set up a surveillance team to monitor them and eventually it yielded positive result.

“The two suspects involved were apprehended within there facility in Mokwa Local Government Area of the state last week,” he said.

Ibrahim said that the suspects, Malam Jibrin Abubakar, is the chairman of Agro-chemicals Dealers Association in the area who was arrested alongside his accomplice Malam Babangida Ado.

He said that the suspects were involved in adulterating Agro-chemicals such as herbicides and pesticides in large quantity.

“The quantity of suspected adulterated agro-chemicals we found on ground were so much that we had to hire a truck to evacuate them,” he said.

The NAFDAC Coordinator said that the suspects confessed to have been doing the illicit business for five years now.

Ibrahim said that the successful operation was supported by the police division in the area.

“We took a big risk because the operation turned out to be a night operation with the police,” he said.

He said that the suspected adulterated agro-chemicals have been taken to the laboratory for further investigation and analysis.

Ibrahim added that the suspects have been transferred to its North-West Enforcement and Investigation Directorate in Kaduna.