Officials of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) yesterday at the Ochanja market in the commercial city of Onitsha arrested three persons in connection with sales of fake hair relaxer popularly known as Ozone Relaxer.

The officials who stormed the market in three vehicles in the company of security operatives and Journalists raided a shop located at No. 28 Maduekwe Street in the market, which they claimed was reported as the source of the fake cosmetic products and arrested three persons.

Addressing Journalists after the raid, the leader of the NAFDAC team, Uche Chidi, a Chief Regulatory Officer, Enforcement Operations of the agency said that their action followed an intelligence reports after a similar raid was carried out in Naka, Benue State where an arrested suspect confessed to buying the products in Onitsha.

Uche noted that their main goal which is in line with their regulations was to get to the source of faking of the particular product whether the suspects were producing or importing it and to also fish out those behind it.

The consultant to the owners of the adulterated brand who pleaded anonymity said that any fast selling product in the market is usually a target for adulteration.

He observed that when this is done, the company doesn’t come out to tell buyers about it especially when the adulterated product is perfectly done as people may find it difficult to differentiate between the fake from the original product, saying that going public on the adulteration of any product may end up affecting the brand of the product.

He said that but steps are discreetly taken to tackle the menace so as not to create panic in the system.

He regretted the penchant for people to ride on the back of established names to claim what they’re not. It might be an outright faking or to present the product looks like the main product so that the cost of marketing the product may die a naturally death.

The three arrested suspects have been moved to Lagos for further investigations.

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