The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has sealed four warehouses in Kano and seized prohibited chemicals valued at N560 million.
The agency also arrested two suspects over the alleged illegal storage, distribution, and sale of banned chemicals in the state.
The Deputy Director of NAFDAC’s Investigation and Enforcement Directorate, Emmanuel Andrew, disclosed this during an enforcement operation in Kano on Thursday.
He said the operation was part of efforts to enforce the ban on Paraeforce, commonly known as Paraquat, which the agency prohibited in 2022 because of its harmful effects on human health and the environment.
According to Andrew, exposure to the chemical can cause respiratory and heart failure, as well as other serious health conditions, including Parkinson’s disease.
He explained that the chemical can remain in the soil and contaminate the environment, particularly water sources, thereby creating serious risks to public health.
Andrew said NAFDAC began enforcing the ban in January 2024, adding that the volume of prohibited chemicals discovered during the latest operation was alarming.
He disclosed that the enforcement team inspected more than 10 warehouses and found suspected illegal products in several locations.
At Panisau, the agency sealed a warehouse after discovering controlled chemicals suspected to be used in the production of illicit drugs. Another property at Jaba, allegedly used for the illegal production and repackaging of chemicals, was also shut down.
The director said, “Investigators recovered cartons of chemicals linked to companies operating in Lagos and the Niger Republic, alongside a sealing machine and other packaging materials.”
He added that enforcement activities would continue until all illegal stocks were removed. In another operation, NAFDAC sealed a warehouse and arrested two people, including its owner, after discovering 2,983 cartons of Paraeforce products worth more than N200 million.
The team also found over 8,000 cartons of Crownquat, another Paraquat-based product containing 2.76 grammes of Paraquat dichloride, valued at more than N360 million.
A quantity of Chlorpyrifos, another chemical banned by the agency, was also discovered. Andrew said all the affected warehouses had been sealed and their owners would be invited for further investigation.
In addition, the agency seized 183 cartons of unregistered Dynewell syrup imported from Ghana. The products were discovered in an unfinished building in the Sharada area of Kano metropolis.
He warned Nigerians against buying, using, or distributing prohibited chemicals, stressing that exposure to Paraquat could be fatal because there is no known antidote.
Andrew assured the public that NAFDAC would continue its enforcement operations to protect human health and the environment.