June 14, 2023

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), on Wednesday bust a Local herbs production factory in Tarfa community, along Kaduna-Abuja road.

NAFDAC investigation and enforcement unit which carried out the operation along with its Kaduna state office, stated that the operation followed a complain they received about the production factory.

Mr Umar Sulaiman, Team leader (Federal Task Force), Investigative and Enforcement, NAFDAC, said the operation was a normal routine work of the agency to safeguard the health of the nation.

According to him, “we went into action after investigations, and had the factory raided. The factory is called Sacramultilink Ltd., owned by Dr Salisu Sani, Nawagini Baban Aisha, who sells herbal medicine.

“We are all here for one purpose and that is to safeguard the health of the nation. Upon our arrival here, we found a lot of violation of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), production of herbal medicine with expired licence.

“We also witnessed an illegal production of some of the products which has not been registered with NAFDAC, along with poor hygiene practices and that is why we took this step.

“We are going to seal this place and arrest any responsible officer here. This facility was registered but for only one product then, NAFDAC registration number was issued to the man and since then we have not seen him again.

“He had gone ahead to produce other products, placing the same approved number for a particular product on other products. This is not right, it is not in best practices,” Sulaiman said.

He disclosed that officials from the state office also come for inspection, and that anytime they come, they would give directives to the factory and it will comply, but after some time, the factory will go back to it normal sharp practices.

Sulaiman stated that the renovation going on the factory may have been due to a viral video going round, compiled by one investigative journalist that Baban Aisha was producing substandard local herbs.

Mr Nasiru Mato, State Coordinator, NAFDAC, Kaduna state, disclosed that the listing status of Baban Aisha product expired since 2018, and that he came for the renewal of the product licence.

Mato said that upon Baban Aisha’s arrival to the agency office in Kaduna, he was given some compliance paper to fill before the renewal and approval.

He said that the agency’s officials were at the factory upon the complain received on the same product, adding that the product had fallen below GMP, standard and below expectation of consumers.

“So under this condition, we had no option than to seal the entire premises, evacuate all related equipment and facilities used for production.

“GMP is a criteria for product registration, it must meet laid down standard,” Mato said.

Some of the equipment which NAFDAC moved away from the factory are one HD injection polythene 25kg, and one HDPE polythene 25kg.

It also took away sacks with labels, Hana big box scale, speakers used in advertising the products, work master heat gun, and packaging bottles.

Others are three pieces of portrait photograph, three copies of sales book, two packet of receipt booklet and four burning kettles. (NAN)