Operatives of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) have detained Pius Effiong Eyoh, a Lagos resident, as they caught him engrossed in the production of fake cosmetics.

NAFDAC narrated how it accosted Eyoh at the Trade Fair Complex in Lagos on Monday.

“NAFDAC’s Investigation & Enforcement Directorate recently uncovered the illegal activities of a fake cosmetics producer at the Balogun Trade Fair Gate, Trade Fair Complex, Lagos State,” NAFDAC stated on Monday.

READ ALSO: NAFDAC Says Benylin Syrup, Which Has Been on the Market for 3 Years, Is Poisonous

“Mr. Pius Effiong Eyoh, the owner of Pasco Global Limited, was apprehended for manufacturing, packaging, distributing, and selling a range of substandard and counterfeit cosmetic products. These included items like Skin Balance Perfect Knuckle Organic Peel Therapy, Golden Face Triple Action Concentrated Perfect Skin and Skin Free Cream, amongst others.

“Eyoh was caught in the act of processing and packaging these cosmetic products with false labels bearing French inscriptions and a Cameroonian address, aiming to deceive unsuspecting consumers into believing they were imported.”

This is coming a day after NAFDAC found N50 million worth of counterfeit consumer products in two Abuja malls.

NAFDAC found the counterfeit products on the shelves in Sahad Stores and H-Medix in Wuse 2 and Gwarinpa, respectively.

READ ALSO: EXPOSED: Crusader, Cancer-Causing Soap Banned by NAFDAC, Still Sold by Jumia and Konga

Other culprits traded drugs and cosmetics at markets in Garki, Wuse, Utako, Kugbo, Nyanya and Mararaba.

Embugushiki-Musa Godiya, Head of NAFDAC Investigation and Enforcement/Federal Task Force in FCT, said that a counterfeit NIVEA cream was being sold at higher prices than the original product.

The sheer number of defaulters selling counterfeit consumer products highlights a laxity in quality control of such products. Nigerians are primarily at risk of health complications if they use these fake products over time.