NAFDAC Seals Warehouse Stocked with Chemicals Used for Explosives in Kano

• NAFDAC uncovered and sealed a warehouse in Kano containing 88,560 litres of controlled chemicals, including 60,000 litres of sulphuric acid (90.5%) and 28,560 litres of nitric acid (68%), both commonly used in explosives.

• The warehouse was operated by an unlicensed owner, and only the warehouse manager was found and arrested; the owner remains at large.

• These chemicals require strict government permits and clearance due to their potential misuse in bomb-making; the volume seized could pose a severe security threat to Kano.

• NAFDAC is interrogating the manager to trace the source and distribution network and plans to destroy the chemicals safely to protect public safety.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has uncovered a major illegal stockpile of explosive precursor chemicals in a sealed warehouse located in Kwakwachi, Fagge Local Government Area of Kano State. The haul includes 60,000 litres of highly concentrated sulphuric acid and 28,560 litres of nitric acid, among the largest quantities the agency has encountered together in a single location.

The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, expressed alarm at the discovery, highlighting that the owner is not registered as a chemical marketer and lacked the required permits and security clearance to import or store such hazardous substances. These acids are tightly controlled given their common use in manufacturing explosives, and the sheer quantity present posed a serious risk capable of causing widespread destruction if misused.

Upon inspection, only the warehouse manager was detained, and NAFDAC is actively investigating to locate and prosecute the warehouse owner and any associated parties who may be supplying the chemicals. The agency emphasized the national security implications of this seizure and reiterated its commitment to destroying the chemicals according to regulatory protocols to safeguard the public.

This operation reinforces NAFDAC’s role in monitoring and controlling regulated substances critical to national safety, while underscoring ongoing efforts to prevent the illicit proliferation of materials that could be used for violent purposes in Nigeria.