CYRIACUS IZUEKWE
A day after the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, busted a fake alcohol syndicate at the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex, traders at the complex have broken their silence over the operation.
PM Express visited the ASPMDA Plaza, Section 7, along Lagos-Badagry Expressway on Wednesday morning, where over 20 shops were sealed by NAFDAC operatives on Tuesday.
The agency had seized expired and counterfeit alcoholic drinks valued at over N2 billion after uncovering makeshift factories operating inside parking stores.
While normal trading activities had resumed at Warehouse Block B and Plaza 7, many shop owners were seen discussing the raid in clusters, with some expressing shock over the discovery.
One trader who deals in electrical materials and who asked not to be named told PM Express that most legitimate traders were unaware that some of their neighbours were involved in the production of fake drinks.
“We pay for parking stores here to keep our goods. Some people converted theirs to warehouses. We didn’t know they were mixing drinks inside. When NAFDAC came with police yesterday, everybody ran because we thought it was task force,” he said.
Another trader, a woman who sells building materials at Plaza 7, said the complex is too large for traders to monitor each other.
“Trade Fair is very big. From Gate 2 to ASPMDA, you have thousands of shops. You cannot know what your neighbour is doing inside his locked shop. Those people always lock their shop and say it is private parking store. We thought they were storing cartons,” she said.
The traders appealed to the management board of the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex to carry out proper profiling of persons renting shops and parking stores in the complex to avoid similar embarrassment in future.
They also called on NAFDAC to ensure that only those found guilty are punished and not all traders at the plaza.
Meanwhile, officials of the Trade Fair Complex Management Board declined to comment when contacted on Wednesday.
A security official at Gate 2 said the board is cooperating with NAFDAC and has provided all necessary documents relating to allocation of shops at Section 7.
NAFDAC on Tuesday said two suspects were arrested during the operation and truckloads of suspected fake and expired alcoholic drinks were evacuated.
The agency said the suspects were allegedly involved in revalidating expired drinks, blending popular alcoholic brands and stockpiling banned imported products for sale to unsuspecting members of the public.
It warned that consumption of adulterated alcoholic drinks could cause liver and kidney failure, blindness and death, especially as the festive season draws closer.
The agency also assured that investigation continues and that the sealed shops would remain closed until conclusion of investigations.