NAFDAC seizes 10,000 cartons of unregistered products in Lagos

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has confiscated over 10,000 cartons of unregistered tomato paste and cosmetic products during a raid at the Lagos Trade Fair Market.

The five-day operation, carried out by NAFDAC’s Investigation and Enforcement Directorate in the cosmetics section of the market, targeted harmful and unregulated goods.

Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Dr. Martins Iluyomade, told journalists on Tuesday that the seized items included creams, soaps, body sprays, body washes, air fresheners, toothpaste, and large quantities of tomato paste.

He warned that the safety of the products could not be guaranteed, as they had not undergone regulatory checks.

“Deaths from substandard medicines, cosmetics, and unsafe foods exceed the number of people killed by Boko Haram,” Iluyomade said, stressing the agency’s commitment to protecting public health.

He noted that a newly inaugurated multi-agency task force would strengthen surveillance nationwide, while NAFDAC’s partnership with the Nigeria Customs Service was helping to block the entry of falsified products at the borders.

Iluyomade urged traders to use NAFDAC’s decentralised registration process to verify and register their goods, reaffirming the agency’s resolve to eliminate unregistered, substandard, and expired products from Nigerian markets.