SON arrests suspected dealer of expired products in Lagos

The Standard Organization of Nigeria in collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force on Saturday arrested a man suspected of dealing in expired household items.

The arrest followed a tip-off which led the agency to discover a twin three-storey building in Kirikiri, both of them stocked with imported items long expired and the expiry dates post dated to enable sale. 

 

The buildings reportedly belong to Julf Ventures Nigeria Ltd and was first discovered in March 2017 before arrest was made this Saturday.

The Director-General of SON, Osita Aboloma, who was represented by the Director of Inspectorate and Compliance, Bede Obayi, briefed reporters following the arrest. Channels reports that Aboloma promised that the agency would ensure they trace the substandard products that had already left the warehouse and commended the Lagos State Government for its prompt response in sealing up the building.

 

“We acted on the intelligence we received from well-meaning Nigerians. You can see the volume of expired products here and imagine their implications on our society in terms of health issues. When somebody buys expired cream, what does it show? You are applying cream that the active ingredient had gone and that may cause reactions on the skin.

“We promise Nigerians that we will carry out investigation and ensure that the products that have left the warehouse to different shops all over the country are properly traced and withdrawn from circulation. Due to the support of other regulatory agencies and the Nigeria Police Force, we were able to discover two other warehouses belonging to the same company based on a tip-off,” Aboloma said.

NAFDAC'S Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Mr Kingsley Ejiofor, condemned the act of churning out substandard product to the public and described it as an “illicit trade by unscrupulous Nigerian importers”. He continued to praise SON and the Police for arresting the importer and asked for increased support in tackling the importation of fake and substandard goods into the country.