The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Thursday sealed two Chinese-owned supermarkets in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, for selling unapproved products.
The supermarkets, located at No. 40 Mike Akhigbe Way, Jabi, and No. 61 Ebitu Ukiwe Street, Jabi, were found to be selling items that had not been cleared for sale in Nigeria.
The agency also placed eight other shops at Wuse Market under surveillance for allegedly selling aphrodisiac sex-enhancement pills, body enlargement creams, breast and buttock enhancement drugs, and other toxic substances produced with harmful chemicals.
Mr. Embugushiki-Musa Godiya, Head of NAFDAC’s Investigation and Enforcement Unit in Abuja, who led the enforcement operation, said the exercise was carried out in response to consumer complaints.
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He disclosed that the products seized during the raids were worth about N170 million, adding that some of the sellers had been parading themselves as doctors and pharmacists, prescribing drugs to unsuspecting Nigerians.
“They also have products popularly called kayanmata oil. These people have formed a market within banking premises. We received the complaint and could not allow such practices to continue. During the raid, we discovered a variety of unapproved products,” he said.
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On the sealing of the Chinese supermarkets, Godiya explained that the action followed intelligence reports from concerned citizens. He said the foreign nationals involved were importing food and other items labelled only in Chinese, without English translation, in violation of NAFDAC’s labelling regulations.
According to him, the supermarkets had also been operating without NAFDAC approval.
“We have seized all the offending items we found in the supermarkets. In one warehouse where we could not evacuate all the items, we placed the entire stock on hold and invited the owner for further investigation.
“We cannot guarantee the safety and quality of these products since NAFDAC has neither evaluated nor analyzed them,” he added.
Godiya urged Nigerians to be vigilant and cautious about what they buy and consume, warning that unregulated products pose serious health risks.
