The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has sealed off two Chinese-owned supermarkets in Abuja’s Jabi District and eight cosmetics shops at Wuse Market over violations of Nigeria’s regulations on the sale, distribution, and labelling of controlled products.
The agency disclosed this in a statement on Friday signed by its Deputy Director of Public Relations and Protocol, Adegboyega Osiyemi. It noted that products worth over N170 million were confiscated during the operation, carried out on the orders of the Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye.
According to NAFDAC, the enforcement was led by the Investigation and Enforcement Directorate in collaboration with the Federal Task Force on Counterfeit and Substandard Medicines and Unwholesome Processed Foods. The team, headed by Assistant Chief Regulatory Officer, Musa Embugushiki, acted on consumer complaints and surveillance that exposed sharp practices.
The two supermarkets, located on Mike Akhigbe Way and Ebitu Ukiwe Street in Jabi, were found to be selling unregistered food products labelled solely in Chinese, in violation of NAFDAC’s requirement for English translations. Despite initial denial by one of the operators, surveillance confirmed that the outlets were fully operational and stocked with unregistered products.
Similarly, eight cosmetics shops in Wuse Market were shut for selling banned, expired, and unregistered products, including aphrodisiacs and aesthetic medicines. NAFDAC said investigations revealed that some individuals had been posing as dermatologists and pharmacists, selling harmful items to unsuspecting customers under the guise of skin whitening, body enhancement, and male performance boosters.
Among the products seized 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 stressed that many of these items expose consumers to serious health risks such as skin cancer, kidney damage, irritability, and memory loss. She reaffirmed NAFDAC’s commitment to safeguarding public health and warned Nigerians to buy only products duly registered by the agency.
The statement added that foreign nationals and investors seeking to market products in Nigeria must approach NAFDAC offices nationwide for proper registration and regulatory clearance.
