The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has confiscated more than 10,000 cartons of unregistered tomato paste and cosmetic products at the Lagos Trade Fair Market.
Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Dr. Martins Iluyomade, disclosed this to journalists on Tuesday, August 12, warning that the health risks posed by substandard products are deadlier than terrorism.
“I can say authoritatively that deaths from substandard medicines, cosmetics, and unsafe foods exceed the number of people killed by Boko Haram,” he said.
Iluyomade explained that the seized items included creams, soaps, body sprays, washes, air fresheners, toothpaste, and other unregistered goods that had not undergone regulatory checks.
“We cannot guarantee the safety of these seized products because they have not undergone any regulatory scrutiny. One way to safeguard public health is to remove harmful products from markets before they can kill unsuspecting Nigerians,” he added.
He noted that a newly inaugurated multi-agency task force would strengthen NAFDAC’s nationwide surveillance against substandard medicines and unsafe processed foods. He also highlighted the agency’s collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to tighten border controls.
“We are working hard to prevent falsified and unregistered items from entering the country. The NCS has handed over many seized fake products to us, and we have also transferred some to them,” Iluyomade said.
NAFDAC reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that only products that have passed regulatory processes—assuring both safety and effectiveness—are allowed into Nigerian markets.