The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has sealed two Chinese supermarkets in Abuja’s Jabi District and eight cosmetics shops in Wuse Market for selling unregistered and banned products.
NAFDAC confirmed the action in a statement on Friday signed by its Deputy Director of Public Relations and Protocol, Adegboyega Osiyemi.
According to the agency, the enforcement was ordered by its Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, and carried out by the Investigation and Enforcement Directorate in collaboration with the Federal Task Force on Counterfeit and Substandard Medicines and Unwholesome Processed Foods. The team was led by Assistant Chief Regulatory Officer, Musa Embugushiki.
“Acting on the directive of the Director-General of NAFDAC, the enforcement team confiscated and evacuated offending products worth over N170m,” the statement said.
The two supermarkets, located on Mike Akhigbe Way and Ebitu Ukiwe Street in Jabi, were shut after surveillance showed they were selling unregistered food items labelled only in Chinese. This, NAFDAC explained, violates its labelling rule, which requires English translations for products sold in Nigeria.
The agency added that the supermarket on Ebitu Street initially denied being in operation, but officials confirmed it was open and selling unapproved products.
In a related operation, NAFDAC also sealed eight cosmetics shops in Wuse Market for distributing expired, unregistered, and banned beauty and body enhancement products. The agency revealed that some traders had been parading themselves as dermatologists and pharmacists while selling harmful items to unsuspecting customers.
“These products were sold under claims of body enhancement, skin whitening, aesthetic improvement for women, and manpower boosting for men,” the statement added.
Among the confiscated cosmetics were Wenicks Capsules, Maxman Capsules, Boobs Enlargement, Curvy Weight Gain, Skin Whitening Vitamin Gummies, Collagen, Royal Jelly, Glutathione, and Whitening Gummies.
NAFDAC said the raids followed consumer complaints and warned that it would not allow harmful and unregistered products to circulate in Nigerian markets.
