NAFDAC Intensifies War On Illegal Pesticides, Seizes N800m Worth Of Prohibited Agrochemicals In Four States Amid Growing Concerns About Food Safety, Toxic Chemical Residues And Threats To Public Health.
The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, made this known during a press conference in Lagos yesterday, warning farmers, agrochemical dealers and distributors against the usage, sale and circulation of banned pesticides.
Adeyeye claimed the agency confiscated illicit agrochemicals worth over N800 million in Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Oyo states in 2025, while following enforcement operations found further consignments of prohibited chemicals across the country, reports Saturday Independent.
Kebbi State She said NAFDAC also seized 5,619 cartons, equivalent to 67,428 litres, of unlawful paraquat and 500 cartons weighing 5,000 kilogrammes of banned atrazine.
She said enforcement actions in the Northwest between September, 2024 and July, 2026 resulted in the seizure, interception or custody of 2,974 boxes of pesticides containing prohibited paraquat worth at about N148.7 million.
He said all applicable phase-out periods for the completed regulatory measures of NAFDAC have concluded by January 1, 2026, meaning that the impacted items cannot be made, imported, distributed, marketed or used in Nigeria anymore.
The banned goods are insecticides including paraquat, chlorpyrifos and atrazine.
The FDA has also banned the import, production and sale of the 100-millilitre pack size of dichlorvos in open markets and supermarkets.
Adeyeye also advised against the misuse of licensed pesticides that might expose farmers, consumers and the environment to toxic chemical residues, apart from the unlawful importation and distribution of banned chemicals.
She quoted a market study on beans that found pyrethroid and dimethoate residues over the limits of safety, raising worries about the possible dangers of incorrect application of pesticides and safety of agricultural produce ingested by Nigerians.
Dimethoate is not recommended or effective for protecting harvested beans against pest such as weevils, she said. She urged farmers against indiscriminate use of pesticides and stressed the need to adhere to permitted applications, product instructions and recommended waiting periods before harvesting crops.
Farmers were advised to buy pesticides from bona fide agro-input dealers, follow the directions on the product-label, use the recommended doses and observe the stipulated periods between pesticide application and harvesting.
“To beef up enforcement, NAFDAC is expanding its investigation and enforcement zonal offices from three to six to improve regulatory coverage across the country’s six geopolitical zones, Adeyeye said.
The agency is also increasing cooperation with law enforcement agencies and other government entities to detect unlawful imports, remove banned products from shelves and prosecute offenders, she said.
Adeyeye called on manufacturers, importers, distributors, farmers and consumers to support efforts to defend public health, maintain the environment and ensure that Nigerian agricultural produce is suitable to meet food-safety regulations.
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