The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has reminded Nigerians that it banned Crusader Soaps from the country.
NAFDAC announced on Friday that it arrested a syndicate involved in the illegal importation of banned Crusader Soaps containing mercury into the country.
Mojisola Adeyeye, the director-general of NAFDAC, revealed during a press briefing in Lagos.
Adeyeye explained that the syndicate had been using forged customs documents to bring the prohibited product into the country.
She reiterated that NAFDAC had banned the importation of the soap years ago due to its mercury content.
According to her, the agency’s efforts to uncover the warehouse took several attempts, as the cartel continuously relocated the consignment to various locations in Lagos to avoid detection.
During the investigation, it was discovered that the prime suspect, Peter Obih claimed to have acquired the franchise for the product from a company.
He presented an expired NAFDAC certificate, which had been issued for the local manufacture of the soap after the ban was imposed in Nigeria.
NAFDAC’s DG promised that the arrested suspects will be charged in court while fleeing members of the syndicate will also be apprehended.
She said:
“Each consignment is not less than three containers with 4,500 cartons of the soap.
“Acting on intelligence, our investigation and enforcement team in August 2023 busted a warehouse in Trade Fair Market, which was filled with the banned imported soaps.
” Three trailer-loads of imported crusader medicated soap and mekako soap, totalling 4,000 cartons by 12 packs by 12 tablet soap, were evacuated from the warehouse, while some suspects were arrested in connection with the case.
“The street value of the evacuated products is approximately one billion naira.
“The suspect claims to have just secured a contract manufacturing agreement with a local manufacturer, but they are yet to commence production.
“The sample of the product was taken to our laboratory for analysis and was found to contain heavy metals identified as mercury.
“The crusader soap is falsely labelled made in England to deceive Nigerians while the actual source is India.”
