The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Thursday, raided a well-known supermarket in Abuja, Sahad store, due to the alleged sale of counterfeit products.
The law enforcement agency also conducted raids at H-Medix outlets located in Wuse 2, Gwarinpa, and Utako market parts of Abuja.
While speaking with newsmen during the operation, the NAFDAC head of investigation and enforcement in Abuja, Embugushiki-Musa Godiya said the team had also raided market places in Nyanya, Mararaba and Wuse on Tuesday and Wednesday subsequently, seizing goods worth millions of naira.
“We have been able to successfully recover some of the counterfeit products, and evacuate them for destruction. Our concern is one of the products, purported to be Nivea NAFDAC regulated product, but it is not.
“The most shocking to me is that such substandard Nivea cream and other cosmetics are even more expensive than the ones approved by NAFDAC. This is criminal.
“The market value of what we have seen so far for drug hawking is N5 million, and for the NIVEA products, other cosmetics and other products, including Jik bleach, Harpic toilet cleaner and Airwick room freshener, all counterfeit in large quantity, valued at N45 million.
“The total value of all the goods seized during the operation is N50 million.”
He said the agency has zero tolerance for compromised standards, adding that “NAFDAC will arrest whosoever is involved in this crime”.
“NAFDAC enforcement will make sure it gets to the root of the syndicate that imports these products,” Godiya said.
Godiya further urged Nigerians to be careful before they purchase products and always watch out for the NAFDAC registration number before they purchase.