The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has sealed two Chinese-owned supermarkets in the Jabi District of Abuja, along with eight cosmetics shops at Wuse Market, for alleged “flagrant violations”.
In a statement signed on Friday by its Deputy Director of Public Relations/Protocol, Adegboyega Osiyemi, NAFDAC disclosed that “acting on the directive of the Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, the enforcement team confiscated and evacuated offending products worth over N170m.”
The agency explained that the enforcement operation was carried out by its Investigation and Enforcement Directorate alongside the Federal Task Force on Counterfeit and Substandard Medicines and Unwholesome Processed Foods, led by Assistant Chief Regulatory Officer, Musa Embugushiki.
“The supermarkets, situated on Mike Akhigbe Way and Ebitu Ukiwe Street in Jabi District, Abuja, were sealed following credible consumer complaints and subsequent surveillance by the NAFDAC Enforcement Team, which revealed that the operators were engaged in the sale of unregistered food items and products labelled exclusively in the Chinese language, contrary to NAFDAC’s mandatory labelling policy requiring English translations for the Nigerian market and regulatory understanding,” the statement noted.
It added that, “despite initial resistance and denials by the foreign national at Ebitu Street that the supermarket had yet to commence operation, the enforcement team confirmed that the outlet was in full operation and selling unregistered regulated products.”
In a related exercise, eight cosmetics shops in Wuse Market were sealed for allegedly selling banned, expired, and unregistered cosmetics, aphrodisiacs, and aesthetic medicines.
“Investigations revealed that certain individuals had been illegally presenting themselves as dermatologists and pharmacists, prescribing and selling harmful products to unsuspecting consumers under the guise of body enhancement, skin whitening, aesthetic improvement for women, and manpower for men,” NAFDAC stated.
Among the products confiscated were Wenicks Capsules, Maxman Capsules, Boobs Enlargement, Curvy Weight Gain, Skin Whitening Vitamin Gummies, Collagen, Royal Jelly, Glutathione Whitening Gummies, White Doll, Dr. Gallery Plus, Maiz Zaki Syrup, Original Herbal Yellow Fever, Sickle Cell Medicine, Dr. Nafisa Herbal Medicine, Dynewell Syrup, and White Blinks.
Prof. Adeyeye warned that such products pose serious health risks, stressing NAFDAC’s commitment to protecting Nigerians from exposure to “dangerous chemicals and toxic substances which are linked to serious health risks, including skin cancer, kidney damage, irritability, and memory loss.”
“The agency hereby reaffirms its commitment to enforcing compliance with NAFDAC regulations and advises Nigerian consumers to patronize only products duly registered by NAFDAC. Foreign nationals and investors intending to import or market products in Nigeria are advised to visit NAFDAC offices nationwide for product registration and regulatory guidance,” the statement added.