The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) announced on Friday that it had detained a gang that specialised in bringing mercury-containing crusader soap into the nation.
The syndicate imported the product using fake customs paperwork, according to Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, Director-General of NAFDAC, who revealed this to newsmen in Lagos.
Adeyeye claims that NAFDAC long ago prohibited the importation of the soap because it contained mercury.
The investigation and enforcement (I&E) Directorate of NAFDAC has found a cartel that specialised in importing outlawed crusader soaps that contain mercury, the official stated.Further examination across the ports reveals that the prohibited crusader soap was imported seven times in 2021 alone. The syndicate brought the commodity into the nation using fake customs paperwork.A consignment consists of at least three containers and 4,500 cartons of soap.Unaware members of the public have been purchasing these goods from a variety of supermarkets and cosmetic stores.
In August 2023, a warehouse in Trade Fair Market was busted and three trailer-loads of banned imported soaps were evacuated. The street value of the products is approximately one billion Naira. The prime suspect, Chief Peter Obih, claimed to have bought the franchise of the product and presented an expired NAFDAC certificate for local manufacture. The crusader soap was falsely labelled made in England to deceive Nigerians while the actual source was India. This is an outright violation of NAFDAC Acts and a contravention of agency regulations, including the cosmetic products (prohibition of bleaching agents) regulations 2019.
