The Standards Organisation of Nigeria has arrested a cosmetics and wine importer suspected of changing the expiry dates on products and putting new dates on them to mislead buyers, Punchng is reporting.
The importer, Mr. Joseph Udeh, owner of Jouf Nigeria Limited, located at No. 10 Faith Street, off Comfort Oboh Street, Kirikiri Road, Apapa, Lagos, is said to be a major dealer in popular cosmetics and home product brands. .
He converted two four-storey residential buildings, each containing eight rooms into storage facilities for products. A closer look at some of the cosmetics revealed varying expiry dates, some dating as far back as 2004 while some had expired in 2013 and some in 2016. .
Udeh whose shop is located at Balogun Market, Trade Fair complex, said he was a supplier to major retail outlets and some of the major department stores in Nigeria. .
Addressing journalists shortly after the operation, the Head, Inspectorate and Compliance, SON, Mr. , said the importer would face the full wrath of the law. .
“The volume of the goods that expired is inestimable. Imagine a product that should be used in wrapping up a baby in 2017 has expired in 2015, what will be the effect on the baby, of course it would be negative reaction on the baby. .
We have baby powders that have expired since 2013 and four years after, the products are still going into the market. When they sell, they remove the expiry dates and put new dates to deceive the unsuspecting consumers and when you buy these products, you think they are products that can help you, not knowing that they are products that would cause you all sorts of diseases.” .
According to the SON official, many innocent people suffer without knowing the root causes of their illnesses, maintaining that the importer of these expired products are killing and robbing innocent Nigerians of their hard-earned money.
