NAFDAC Reacts To Viral Video Of Police Demanding For Registration Number From Zobo Hawker

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has issued a clarification following a trending video on Facebook showing Delta State police officers interrogating a local Zobo vendor over the lack of a NAFDAC registration number on the product.

In the recording, an officer is seen inspecting a bottled drink while questioning its registration status, prompting an intervention from an onlooker who declared, “This is ordinary Zobo. I am a content creator, and I will put it on Facebook.”

Undeterred by the statement, the police operative responded, “Put it (on Facebook),” while another officer holding the beverage argued, “As far as I am concerned, this thing is supposed to have a NAFDAC number. Does this thing have a NAFDAC number? As a police officer, don’t I have the right to ask?”

The encounter drew a crowd of curious onlookers as the debate unfolded over the regulation of Zobo, a traditional Nigerian drink produced from dried hibiscus calyces and often infused with ginger, pineapple, and local spices.

Defending the officers’ actions, Delta State Police Command spokesperson Bright Edafe asserted that the personnel were merely carrying out their lawful duties, criticizing the content creator for interfering with officers on duty.

Edafe stated, “The police officers are doing their jobs, but some carried cameras and asked police operatives why a drink should have a NAFDAC NUMBER,” maintaining that consumable items under regulatory scope must fulfill standard agency requirements.

However, clarifying the agency’s operational mandate, NAFDAC spokesperson Christiana Obiazikwor explained that unsealed and unlabelled Zobo sold in plain containers does not fall under the agency’s regulatory jurisdiction.

“If you produce Zobo without packaging it – putting a label, without sealing it. It is not under NAFDAC’s purview to regulate it. But when you now package, seal, and put a label, then it becomes under NAFDAC regulation. But if you just put ordinary Zobo in a container to sell, it is not under NAFDAC,” Obiazikwor stated.

Drawing a parallel with unbranded cooking oil sold in local open markets, she noted that loose items remain outside NAFDAC’s oversight until they are formally packaged, sealed, and labelled.

Responding further after being informed that a photo shared on Facebook indicated the hawker’s bottle had a label, Obiazikwor added, “It is supposed to have a NAFDAC number if it is packaged and labelled.”

The agency’s position confirms that commercial packaging, sealing, and formal labelling are the primary factors determining whether a locally made beverage requires NAFDAC registration.