The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has uncovered a warehouse stocked with banned, counterfeit and unregistered cosmetic products valued at over N3 billion at the APT Trade Fair Complex in Lagos State.
In a post on Sunday via its X account, the agency noted that the facility was concealed within an unfinished building and was allegedly used to store products for distribution while evading regulatory scrutiny.
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Seized items
Among the items recovered were 728 cartons of Crusader soap, 718 cartons of E45 soap and quantities of Extract Gold whitening soaps, brands previously banned by the federal government due to safety concerns.
NAFDAC also found assorted perfumes, body oils and cooking oils.
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The agency said these products have been placed on hold pending further regulatory assessment. It noted that all seized goods have since been evacuated to prevent them from entering the market.
The warehouse manager, the post noted, has been invited to be questioned as investigations continue.
NAFDAC warned that the sale and use of banned and unregistered cosmetic products pose serious health risks, including skin damage and exposure to harmful chemical substances.
Pattern of enforcement
The latest discovery adds to a string of enforcement operations reported by PREMIUM TIMES in recent weeks.
In early February, the agency announced what it described as one of its most significant enforcement operations after seizing over 10 million doses of fake malaria drugs and cosmetic products, also valued at about N3 billion, from a warehouse in the Trade Fair Market area of Lagos.
During that operation, NAFDAC officials uncovered injectable anti-malarial drugs, antibiotics, banned products such as Postinor and Analgin, some prohibited in Nigeria for nearly 15 years, packed in alarming quantities in a three-storey building masquerading as a spare parts warehouse.
Only days after the Lagos operation, NAFDAC sealed 18 warehouses in Bida, Niger State, uncovering large quantities of expired food and beverage products valued at over N100 million.
Officials said the expired items, including non-alcoholic beverages, dairy products, bottled water, candies and pasta, were found in facilities around Ndazabo White House along Minna Road and behind Bida Modern Market.
Growing concern over cosmetics
NAFDAC has repeatedly raised concerns over the influx of potentially harmful substances.
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The concealment of the Lagos warehouse within an unfinished structure, officials say, highlights the increasingly sophisticated methods operators are using to bypass regulatory checks.
NAFDAC reiterated its commitment to sustained enforcement, warning that offenders would face prosecution under relevant laws.
The agency also urged members of the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious storage or sale of regulated products to the nearest NAFDAC office.
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