NAFDAC shuts Chinese supermarkets, cosmetics shops in Abuja

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has sealed two Chinese-owned supermarkets in Abuja’s Jabi District and eight cosmetics shops in Wuse Market for what it described as flagrant breaches of regulations governing the sale, distribution and labelling of controlled products in Nigeria.

In a statement on Friday, Adegboyega Osiyemi, NAFDAC’s Deputy Director of Public Relations and Protocol, said the agency confiscated and evacuated unregistered products worth more than N170m during the enforcement exercise.

The operation was conducted by the Investigation and Enforcement Directorate of NAFDAC in conjunction with the Federal Task Force on Counterfeit and Substandard Medicines and Unwholesome Processed Foods, led by Assistant Chief Regulatory Officer, Musa Embugushiki.

According to the agency, the supermarkets located on Mike Akhigbe Way and Ebitu Ukiwe Street in Jabi were sealed following credible consumer complaints and surveillance, which revealed that they were selling unregistered food items and products labelled exclusively in Chinese, in violation of NAFDAC’s mandatory policy requiring English translations for all products sold in Nigeria.

“Despite initial resistance and denials by the foreign national operating the outlet on Ebitu Street, who claimed the supermarket had not commenced business, the enforcement team confirmed it was fully operational and actively selling unregistered products,” the statement noted.

In a related operation, eight cosmetics shops in Wuse Market were also sealed for selling banned, expired and unregistered products, including aphrodisiacs and aesthetic medicines.

Investigations revealed that some individuals were unlawfully posing as dermatologists and pharmacists, prescribing and marketing harmful products to unsuspecting customers under the guise of body enhancement, skin whitening, aesthetic improvement for women and sexual performance for men.

Items seized included Wenicks Capsules, Maxman Capsules, Boobs Enlargement formulations, Curvy Weight Gain supplements, Skin Whitening Vitamin Gummies, Collagen, Royal Jelly, Glutathione Whitening Gummies, White Doll, Dr Gallery Plus, Maiz Zaki Syrup, Original Herbal Yellow Fever medicine, Sickle Cell Medicine, Dr Nafisa Herbal Medicine, Dynewell Syrup and White Blinks, among others.

Mojisola Adeyeye, NAFDAC Director-General, warned that many of the banned cosmetics and herbal medicines pose severe health risks, ranging from skin cancer and kidney damage to irritability and memory loss.

She reiterated the agency’s mandate to safeguard Nigerians from exposure to dangerous chemicals and toxic substances, stressing that NAFDAC would continue to enforce compliance with its regulations.

The agency urged consumers to purchase only NAFDAC-registered products, while advising foreign nationals and investors intending to import or market goods in Nigeria to seek regulatory guidance and product registration at NAFDAC offices nationwide.