The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Friday sealed two Chinese supermarkets and eight cosmetics shops in Abuja for allegedly violating Nigeria’s food and drug regulations.
The affected supermarkets, located on Mike Akhigbe Way and Ebitu Ukiwe Street in Jabi District, were accused of selling unregistered food products labelled exclusively in Chinese, contrary to NAFDAC’s requirement that all regulated products carry English translations for the Nigerian market.
According to a statement by NAFDAC’s Deputy Director of Public Relations and Protocol, Adegboyega Osiyemi, the enforcement action followed credible consumer complaints and surveillance operations conducted by the agency’s Investigation and Enforcement Directorate in collaboration with the Federal Taskforce on Counterfeit and Substandard Medicines and Unwholesome Processed Foods.
The operation was led by Assistant Chief Regulatory Officer, Musa Embugushiki.
At one of the Jabi outlets, a foreign national reportedly claimed the shop was not operational, but NAFDAC confirmed that unregistered goods were being sold.
In a related exercise, eight cosmetics shops within Wuse Market were also sealed for selling banned, expired, and unregistered products, including aphrodisiacs and aesthetic medicines.
Confiscated items included Wenicks Capsules, Maxman Capsules, Boobs Enlargement supplements, Curvy Weight Gain products, Skin Whitening Gummies, Collagen, Royal Jelly, Glutathione Whitening Gummies, White Doll, Dr. Gallery Plus, Maiz Zaki Syrup, and other unapproved herbal mixtures, valued at over ₦170 million.
NAFDAC said some traders were disguising themselves as dermatologists and pharmacists to sell harmful products for body enhancement, skin whitening, and male sexual performance.
NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, said the operation was aimed at protecting Nigerians from dangerous chemicals linked to health issues such as kidney damage, skin cancer, memory loss, and irritability.
She urged Nigerians to purchase only NAFDAC-registered products and advised foreign investors to ensure proper registration of their goods before marketing them in the country.
The article was originally published on Politics Nigeria.
