In Abuja on Thursday, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) conducted a raid at Sahad Stores, a well-known supermarket, for the sale of counterfeit products.
The authorities conducted simultaneous raids at H-Medix outlets in Wuse 2 and Gwarinpa, 3rd Avenue, along with the Utako market in the FCT. Counterfeit cosmetics were uncovered and confiscated during the operation at H-Medix, while fake medications were seized at the Utako market.
Embugushiki-Musa Godiya, the NAFDAC Head of Investigation and Enforcement/Federal Taskforce, FCT, Abuja, mentioned that the enforcement team also conducted operations at Kugbo market in Nyanya and the Mararaba area in Nasarawa State on Tuesday.
He informed the press that the team also conducted a raid at Wuse Market on Wednesday, seizing goods valued at millions. Godiya mentioned that the three-day operation was conducted following valuable intelligence gathered by the agency from concerned Nigerians.
“We have been able to successfully recover some of the counterfeit products, 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 freshner, all counterfeit in large quantity, valued at N45 million.
“The total value of all the goods seized during the operation is N50 million”
