NAFDAC has shut down an unregistered herbal products factory concealed inside a residential building in Agege, Lagos, after discovering three unregistered preparations, including one carrying a registration number assigned to a legitimate cough syrup.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control said it arrested the facility’s manager, Abulaziz Sayidu, for questioning, while the alleged owner, Ashietu Adams, was reportedly unavailable.
The agency’s Deputy Director in the Pharmaceutical Division of its Investigation and Enforcement Directorate, Edith Joseph, said intelligence received on October 16 prompted surveillance that led officials to the premises.
Joseph said the products were manufactured in unhygienic conditions without regulatory approval. Officials recovered Ashietu Adams Herbal Mixture for sexually transmitted diseases, Ashietu Adams Blood Purifier and another herbal preparation marketed for high blood pressure.
None of the products was registered with NAFDAC, she said. The registration number displayed on the blood purifier belonged to a registered cough syrup, which officials said had been copied to make the unapproved preparation appear legitimate.
Joseph added that the packaging lacked the manufacturer’s name and a verifiable address, making it difficult to establish the products’ origin. The agency sealed the facility and moved the recovered products to its office for further investigation.
Sayidu reportedly told officials he had worked with Adams for about a year and helped manage the business during her absences. He said she had travelled to Ghana, according to the agency.
NAFDAC also warned consumers not to treat a registration number alone as proof that a product is genuine. Joseph advised Nigerians to check whether the product name and other details match the agency’s records through its online verification platforms and Greenbook. Consumers without internet access can seek assistance at the nearest NAFDAC office.
The agency’s Deputy Director of Public Relations, Christiana Obiazikwor, urged landlords to monitor activities on their properties and report suspected illegal manufacturing, warning that property owners who facilitate such operations could face prosecution.
Obiazikwor said NAFDAC was expanding public education through radio programmes, multilingual jingles and community campaigns. She urged consumers to check manufacturer details and batch numbers as well as registration information, describing these as important safeguards for product traceability.
The agency said investigations into the Agege operation were continuing and called on the public to report suspected illegal manufacturing activities, assuring that reports would be handled discreetly.
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