The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has confiscated banned, expired, and unregistered products worth over ₦1.5 billion during an enforcement operation at the Lagos Trade Fair Market.
The operation, which focused on the cosmetics section of the market, was led by the Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Martins Iluyomade. According to a post on the agency’s official X handle on Tuesday, several warehouses were found stocked with various unregistered consumer goods, including cosmetics and food items without appropriate labeling or expiry dates.
“Over a trailer load of such products was evacuated, while another trailer containing cosmetics was intercepted,” the agency said. It added that the driver of one of the intercepted trailers fled the scene, but the vehicle was secured by operatives.
Iluyomade told journalists that the seizure followed credible intelligence regarding the distribution of unsafe consumer products.
“We are conducting targeted operations nationwide to eliminate dangerous goods from circulation. These efforts are aimed at protecting public health and ensuring compliance with regulatory standards,” he said.
NAFDAC stated that the confiscated items pose a risk to consumer safety and that ongoing investigations would determine those responsible.
The agency warned traders and distributors against stocking or selling products that are not duly registered or that carry expired manufacturing details.
“The agency is committed to protecting public health and ensuring that only safe, approved, and properly labeled products are made available to Nigerian consumers,” the statement read.
This operation comes shortly after a similar raid in the Alapere area of Ketu, Lagos, where NAFDAC uncovered the illegal sale of expired food additives, counterfeit chemicals, and repackaged pharmaceutical raw materials.
The agency said it would continue to monitor markets and take enforcement actions where necessary.
Iluyomade said that such crackdowns are part of a broader campaign to disrupt networks engaged in product counterfeiting and unauthorised distribution.
