The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has seized more than 10,000 cartons of unregistered tomato paste and cosmetic products during a major operation at the Lagos Trade Fair Market.
The five-day enforcement exercise, carried out by the agency’s Investigation and Enforcement Directorate, targeted the cosmetics section of the market.
NAFDAC’s Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Dr. Martins Iluyomade, explained that the raid was part of a broader strategy to eliminate unregistered and potentially harmful products from circulation.
“We cannot guarantee the safety of these seized products because they have not gone through our regulatory checks,” Iluyomade said. “Removing these dangerous items before they can harm Nigerians is a vital way of safeguarding public health.”
He stressed the severe risks posed by counterfeit and substandard goods, noting, “Deaths from unsafe medicines, cosmetics, and foods surpass those caused by Boko Haram. This is why we remain committed to ensuring only approved, safe, and effective products are sold in Nigeria.”
Iluyomade also revealed that a newly established multi-agency task force will enhance NAFDAC’s surveillance nationwide, while the agency’s collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service is already yielding results.
“We have an MoU with the Nigeria Customs Service to prevent falsified and unregistered goods from entering the country,” he stated. “Customs has handed over numerous seized fake products to us, and we have also transferred some to them.”
The enforcement chief urged manufacturers and traders to take advantage of NAFDAC’s decentralised product registration system to verify and register their goods.
He reaffirmed the agency’s resolve, saying, “We will not relent until Nigerian markets are free from unregistered, substandard, and expired products.”
