The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, on Thursday raided Sahad stores, a popular supermarket in Abuja for selling some counterfeit products.
NAFDAC also raided H-Medix in Wuse 2 and Gwarinpa, 3rd Avenue, and Utako market, all in the FCT.
During the raid at H-Medix, the agency discovered and seized counterfeit cosmetics, while fake drugs were also confiscated at the Utako market.
NAFDAC Head of Investigation and Enforcement/Federal Taskforce, FCT, Embugushiki-Musa Godiya, said the enforcement team had also raided the Kugbo market in Nyanya and Mararaba axis in Nasarawa State on Tuesday.
He told newsmen that the team equally raided Wuse Market on Wednesday, where goods worth millions were seized, stressing that the three-day operation was carried out based on an intelligent report the agency gathered from well-meaning Nigerians.
“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 a NIVEA NAFDAC-regulated product, but it is not.
“The most shocking thing 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,” he said.
He said such counterfeit products could cause cancer to the body, damage the kidneys and cause rashes.
He, therefore, urged perpetrators of such acts to desist from it, stressing that NAFDAC enforcement would make sure it gets to the root of the syndicate that imports the products.
He said the agency has zero tolerance for compromised standards, adding that it would arrest whosoever is involved in the crime.
He called on Nigerians to be careful with the kind of products they buy, and always watch out for NAFDAC registration numbers before they buy.
Counterfeit products: NAFDAC raids Sahad stores, H-Medix, others in Abuja