NAFDAC Arrest Footballer For Manufacturing Fake Chemicals In Abuja

Officials of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control(NAFDAC) have arrested a local footballer, Mr. Ikechukwu Elijah, in the Apo-Waru area of Abuja for manufacturing and distributing hazardous, unregistered chemicals to the unsuspecting public.
The NAFDAC’s Deputy Director of Public Relations and Protocol, Mr. Adegboyega Osiyemi, who confirmed the arrest of the footballer through a statement signed and issued on Friday, said the suspect operates an illegal factory in a residential building in the area and is notorious for counterfeiting popular brands of chemicals and insecticides.
“Initially, when contacted for interrogation by detectives, he denied any knowledge of chemical production in the area. He later confessed to the crime and admitted ownership of the illegal facility after a thorough search was conducted around the compound. The operation also led to the arrest of his younger brother inside the factory.
“The operation, led by the Desk Officer, Investigation and Enforcement Directorate of NAFDAC, and member of the newly inaugurated Federal Taskforce on Counterfeit and Substandard Medicines and Unwholesome Processed Foods in Abuja, Mr. Embugushiki Godiya, resulted in the seizure of manufacturing equipment such as sealing machines, high-capacity cylinders, and large chemical containers, as well as the evacuation of all finished products from the facility,” Osiyemi said in the statement.
Counterfeit and substandard products have remained a persistent public health threat in Nigeria.
NAFDAC has repeatedly warned that such items expose citizens to dangerous substances, compromise safety, and undermine trust in regulated goods