Five arrested in Abuja for allegedly selling fake cosmetics

Five persons were on Wednesday, arrested by National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in Abuja for allegedly selling counterfeit cosmetics.

The arrest was made at the Garki and Wuse axis, during an enforcement to curb substandard goods.

Speaking with newsmen after the enforcement, Embugushiki-Musa Godiya, NAFDAC Head of Investigation and Enforcement, Federal Taskforce, said that the arrested persons would be investigated.

Godiya said that the agency had been investigating some of these counterfeit cosmetics following an intelligence report, adding that some of the products were illegally imported into the country in spite of security at the border.

He said: “NAFDAC is present in all the ports of entry of the country, but with the nature of our borders, these smugglers will always find a way to beat the system that government had put in place.

“That is why if they escape from the port or borders, we go to the market and to all the places, gather intelligence report, go after them and confiscate these product for possible prosecution.”

He further said that the market value of the seized cosmetics is N35 million, and investigations could lead to prosecution of the suspects for the crime committed.