By Ayo Kehinde
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has uncovered a warehouse stocked with banned, fake and unregistered cosmetic products valued at more than ₦3 billion at the APT Trade Fair Complex in Lagos State.
According to the agency,the counterfeit operation was concealed in an uncompleted building within the Trade Fair complex, allegedly to evade regulatory oversight.
Items recovered during the raid include 728 cartons of Crusader soap, 718 cartons of E45 soap, and Extract Gold whitening soaps, all of which are products banned by the Federal Government. NAFDAC also discovered assorted perfumes, body oils and cooking oils, which were placed on hold pending further regulatory assessment. All seized items were evacuated from the facility to prevent their circulation in the market.
The agency disclosed that the warehouse manager has been invited for questioning as investigations continue, adding that further enforcement actions would follow in line with existing regulations. It warned that the sale and use of unregistered and prohibited cosmetics pose serious health risks to consumers.
The development comes amid sustained enforcement efforts by NAFDAC across the country. In a recent operation, the agency shut down 18 warehouses in Niger State after uncovering expired food products worth over ₦100 million, describing the discovery as a grave threat to public health.
Officials said some of the expired consumables had allegedly been tampered with and redistributed to unsuspecting consumers, underscoring the dangers posed by counterfeit and substandard products.
NAFDAC urged members of the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities involving regulated products to its nearest office.
