…says NAFDAC’s failure to properly prosecute suspects has emboldened criminals

The interim management committee of the Eziukwu Road International Market, Aba, Abia State, on Tuesday, resolved to clamp down on illicit activities of fake product makers and other unwholesome practices at the market.

Recall that, the National Agency for Food Drugs and Administration Control (NAFDAC) mopped up the market on the 16/17 of December, destroying a huge number of adulterated and expired products with dates already re-validated for sale.

With a similar incident having occurred in December 2023, the market leadership said it has resolved to take its own destiny by its hands and has put up measures it said will completely see to the end of such nefarious activities.

In resolution signed by Hon. Darlington Achonu, Secretary, Hon. Nnamdi Adimonyenma, Chief Security Officer (CSO), Chief Jonathan Oguejiofor, Chairman of the market’s stakeholders forum and Chief Alphonsus Udeigbo, Chairman of Eziukwu Road International Market who read the resolution before the press, the management apologized to all those that the activities of some people it referred to as unscrupulous elements may have affected

“I want to use this opportunity to humbly apologize to all those who may have been affected by the activities of unscrupulous elements in the market.

“Although we can’t find out or articulate the harm, these few greedy elements may have caused the consumers across the country, we’re saying enough is enough as all necessary measures have been put in place by the market authorities to cut all the unwholesome practices within the market.

“For all those who may have lost their lives in this incident, I pray their souls will rest in peace,” Udeigbo said.

Speaking further, Udeigbo said the leadership has passed a resolution that enough is enough, stressing that the mess that keeps tarnishing the image of the market will no longer continue to happen.

“We’ve set up a 40-man task force which I inaugurated yesterday with our market CSO as the chairman, Nnamdi Adimonyenma, the secretary as our chairman, monitoring committee, Nzenwa Ibe while Nnamdi Edeh as the Vice Chairman.

“We’ve mandated them to ensure that no such production goes on in our market any more. We have 27 zones in the Eziukwu Road International Market and out of the 27 zones we’ve suspended three zones; 9, 13 and 15 where these activities are going on.

“I thank the Mayor of Aba South who came to witness what’s happening here and permitted us to use gates to block all those three zones where these illegal activities are ongoing.

“Yes, it’s costing us a lot of money, but the company have already constructed about seven gates in charge of the job. This will stop accessibility to those zones.”

Speaking further on the measures, Udeigbo said that the leadership has mandated the task force to hand over anybody caught again to NAFDAC with the knowledge of the press.

“Again, the neighbourhood that allowed such evil activities without informing us will have all their shops sealed. The office in which such a business is going on will be sealed and handed over to the government.

“The person will equally pay N500,000 on the spot to the task force of the Eziukwu Road International Market. We’re not looking at the money, but we want to end this mess. We’ve resolved that from today to the 31st of January, 2025, all businesses and shop owners in this market must have an identity card.

“Anyone who cannot have an identity and does business here will be handed over to the police to do the needful. I thank the Governor for the opportunity to serve.”

He went further to fault NAFDAC in its arrest and prosecution of the leaders of the makers of fake products at the market, stressing that NAFDAC handed the 2023 cases with kid gloves and it unsurprisingly, emboldened them to do worse.

“Yes, NAFDAC discovered some shops where these evil activities are being done and the shops sealed, but it’s important to state clearly that we’re where we are today because the regulatory body, NAFDAC, has not lived up to expectations.

“It’s on record that last year’s December 2023, NAFDAC visited Eziukwu Road International Market and by the special grace of God, they arrested about ten people at the production site of these fake products.

“But up till today, we’ve not seen the result of what happened last year. I’m not in a position to question NAFDAC, but they owe the entire world a duty to explain what happened to the people they arrested.

“It’s on record here in the market that in May 2024, five months after the 2023 December raid in this market, a person that NAFDAC arrested returned with a celebratory ovation, as fireworks were blown all over to celebrate a man who is the Chairman of those producing fake products in this market.

“We called NAFDAC and asked what happened. They said they couldn’t identify those they arrested. These people producing fake products are indeed very wealthy individuals, but the man they released is their chairman and he returned very bold and proud.

“We sent all necessary evidence about the people to NAFDAC and up till today, we’ve not heard from them. We have no gun, we own no court. It’s the duty of NAFDAC as an agency set up by the government to handle such issues to make the move with the information we gave to them.”