In Lagos, NAFDAC Confiscates 10,000 cartons of fake goods
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has confiscated more than 10,000 cartons of unregistered tomato paste and cosmetic products during a five-day enforcement operation at the Lagos Trade Fair Market.
The raid, carried out by NAFDAC’s Investigation and Enforcement Directorate, targeted the cosmetics section of the market as part of the agency’s ongoing drive to rid Nigerian markets of harmful and unregulated goods.
Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Dr. Martins Iluyomade, told journalists on Tuesday that the seized items included tomato paste, body creams, soaps, body sprays, washes, air fresheners, and toothpaste.
“We cannot guarantee the safety of these products because they have not undergone any regulatory scrutiny,” Iluyomade said. “Removing such harmful products from circulation is one way to safeguard public health before they cause deaths among unsuspecting Nigerians. Deaths from substandard medicines, cosmetics, and unsafe foods exceed those caused by Boko Haram.”
He reiterated NAFDAC’s commitment to ensuring only safe, quality-assured products reach consumers, stressing that all items must undergo proper registration and approval processes.
Iluyomade also announced that a newly inaugurated multi-agency task force will strengthen nationwide surveillance against substandard medicines and unsafe processed foods.
He highlighted the agency’s partnership with the Nigeria Customs Service, which, he said, has led to the interception of several shipments of falsified and unregistered goods. “Our Memorandum of Understanding with Customs is yielding results, as many fake products seized by them are handed over to us, and vice versa,” he added.
The Director urged business owners to take advantage of NAFDAC’s decentralised registration process to verify and register their products. He assured that the agency will sustain its clampdown on unregistered, substandard, and expired goods across the country.
