Angela Onwuzoo
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has arrested one businessman, Mr. Rapoluchukwu Joseph, 38, for importing 115 cartons of potassium bromate tablets with a street value of N28,750,000.
Potassium Bromate, a bread improver was banned by NAFDAC in 2004, due to its link as a cause of cancer and many other deadly diseases.
Joseph was arrested when the agency raided his warehouse located in the Apongbon area of Lagos Island in Lagos.
NADAC, during the raid also found with the suspect a fake bread improver packed in sachets with a fake NAFDAC registration number worth N300,000.
The agency likewise arrested one Mr. Owerekwe Obinna, 46, with fake 400 cartons of Super Delicieur Cooking Margarine at No. 12 Boundry Street, Aba, Abia State.
Parading the suspects at a press briefing in Lago on Monday, Acting Director-General of NAFDAC, Dr. Monica Eimunjeze, said the agency commenced an investigation in four states of the federation, Kano, Kaduna, Delta, Abia, and Lagos states which led to their arrest.
Eimunjeze said NAFDAC raided and arrested the suspects in connection with various fraudulent activities.
She noted that potassium bromate is a banned flour improver globally as it is a known cancer-causing agent.
The NAFDAC boss said, “On 7th December 2022, NAFDAC officers raided a warehouse in the Apongbon area of Lagos Island in Lagos where they found one hundred and fifteen (115) cartons of Potassium bromate tablets. The tablets have a street value of twenty-eight million seven hundred and fifty thousand naira (N28,750,000:00).
“One Rapoluchukwu Joseph was arrested as the importer during the operation.
“As you are aware, potassium bromate is a banned flour improver globally as it is a known cancer-causing agent. It can also cause kidney failure among other ailments.
“Potassium bromate popularly known as tablets in the black economy is always attractive to merchants of death who want to make outrageous profits at the expense of citizens’ well-being.
“This is because apart from improving the texture of a loaf, it also increases its volume and it is relatively cheap. For example, the seized tablets could be used with three hundred thousand (300,000) bags of 50kg flour to produce about thirty (30) million family-sized loaves of bread.”
Eimunjeze warned that henceforth, any flour product containing potassium bromate would be confiscated and the producer would be made to face the wrath of the law, stressing that there are recommended healthy flour improvers approved by the agency.
Continuing, she said, “NAFDAC on the 9th of September, 2022, commenced an investigation which led its operatives to a long span of operations at four states of the Federation namely; Kano, Kaduna, Delta, Abia, and Lagos states.
“After rigorous and painstaking efforts, the Agency’s operatives traced and arrested one Owerekwe Obinna Michael ‘male’ 46 years of 12 Boundry Street, Aba, Abia State as the importer of a counterfeit Super Delicieur Cooking Margarine.
“At the point of his arrest, the suspect upon sighting the operatives destroyed his mobile phone so that the evidence will not be traced to him. He also fought the operatives but was instantly overpowered, arrested, and taken into custody.
“He confirmed that he imported four hundred (400) cartons of the product with the above details from Dubai through the group page and cleared at Onne Port, Port Harcourt.
“He claimed that the shipment was delivered to him by a clearing agent, whose name he did not yet disclose. He also admitted to distributing the product to markets across the country.
“Preliminary examination of the product showed that the actual manufacturer’s name was not written, but produced for a company in Indonesia.”
The NAFDAC boss enjoined the public to watch out for these injurious products anywhere in the country and report the same or any suspected fake/counterfeit or unwholesome product to any nearest NAFDAC office.
Joseph, who has been selling baking ingredients for over six years, told our correspondent that he was not aware of the health risk of potassium bromate.
“I don’t know that potassium bromate is dangerous to health. Someone sold the product to me,” he claimed.
Mr. Owerekwe Obinna, a trader selling pharmaceutical products in Aba, Abia State who was caught with fake margarine, said, “Somebody introduced the business to me online through a group page. It was sent to me without the NAFDAC registration number.”
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