The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has confiscated banned, expired and unregistered products worth more than N1.5 billion during a sweeping enforcement operation at the Trade Fair market in Lagos.
The raid, which focused on the cosmetics section of the market, was part of a broader national effort to rid Nigerian markets of unsafe consumer products. A truck loaded with counterfeit NAFDAC-regulated goods was also intercepted during the exercise.
Dr Martins Iluyomade, NAFDAC’s Director of Investigation and Enforcement, who led the operation, explained that the exercise was prompted by numerous public complaints about the circulation of harmful and substandard products.
“This exercise is part of an ongoing national drive to protect Nigerians from dangerous products. Many of the items seized had either expired, were banned, or entered the country illegally without undergoing the required quality and safety checks,” he said.
According to him, large stockpiles of expired items were found stored in warehouses and openly displayed for sale. Preliminary assessments put the value of the seized goods at over N1.5 billion.
Iluyomade warned that those linked to the warehouses have been invited for questioning and will face prosecution if found culpable.
“These products pose serious risks to human health. Anyone found guilty of importing, distributing, or selling such unwholesome products will face the full weight of the law,” he said.
He noted that the agency conducts an initial physical inspection to ensure compliance with labelling and packaging regulations before subjecting samples to laboratory analysis to detect toxic or carcinogenic chemicals.
“Some of these items may look perfectly normal but are loaded with harmful chemicals capable of causing long-term health complications,” he added.
The enforcement chief stressed that unsafe food, drugs, and cosmetic products represent both a public health hazard and a national security threat.
“A silent way to harm a population is through contaminated food or personal care products. This is why we treat this fight as a matter of national importance,” he said.
