The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has destroyed or seized counterfeit and substandard regulated products valued at more than ₦1.54tn across Nigeria since 2023.
NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, disclosed this on Monday in Lagos while addressing growing concerns over the circulation of fake and potentially harmful products in the country.
Adeyeye said the agency conducted coordinated raids between February and March 2025 at Idumota Market in Lagos, Onitsha and Ariaria International Market in Aba, resulting in the seizure and destruction of more than 137 truckloads of counterfeit and substandard goods valued at over ₦1.5tn.
She described counterfeiters as “merchants of death” and reaffirmed NAFDAC’s commitment to tackling the production, distribution and sale of fake regulated products.
The agency also highlighted several enforcement operations involving counterfeit, expired and banned medicines.
In February 2026, NAFDAC reportedly destroyed fake, expired, counterfeit and prohibited medicines worth more than ₦15bn in Ibadan, Oyo State. The products included Tramadol, codeine-based syrups, Analgin, Co-codamol, Oxytocin and expired vaccines.
The agency had earlier destroyed unregistered and expired medicines worth ₦11bn in Ibadan in December 2024, while another operation in Kuje, Abuja, in March 2026 resulted in the destruction of products valued at ₦1.8bn.
The combined value of those pharmaceutical-related destructions was put at ₦27.8bn.
NAFDAC also reported the destruction of counterfeit beverages, spirits and revalidated food products worth ₦5bn in Aba in December 2023 after 150 shops were shut.
A follow-up operation at the same location in December 2024 led to the closure of 250 shops and the discovery of similar products valued at about ₦7bn, bringing the combined value of the Aba seizures to approximately ₦12bn.
Adeyeye said products destroyed by NAFDAC nationwide in 2024 alone had a street value exceeding ₦120bn.
The agency also secured 64 convictions in counterfeiting-related cases, with offenders receiving prison sentences ranging from one to seven years without the option of a fine.
Among the convictions recorded between June 2025 and June 2026 were five-year sentences for producing fake Global Fund Artemether and a codeine-containing cough and cold syrup, a one-year sentence for counterfeit ointments and condoms, and a seven-year sentence for producing fake antibiotics.
Adeyeye said NAFDAC’s enforcement efforts since 2023 had resulted in billions of naira worth of seizures, hundreds of arrests, dozens of convictions and the destruction of products valued in the trillions of naira.
She added that the agency’s Post-Market Surveillance Directorate visited 6,233 facilities between May and July 2026 and removed 7,210 brands and products from circulation across various sectors.
The products affected included food and water, medicines and herbal products, medical devices, vaccines and biologics, cosmetics, healthcare products and chemicals.
Food and water products accounted for the highest number of items removed, with 3,633 products recovered from 1,808 facilities. The drugs and herbal products category recorded the highest number of facilities inspected, with 2,084 facilities yielding 2,459 products.
The NAFDAC boss also disclosed that the agency uncovered the alleged unauthorised refilling of 19-litre CWAY-branded dispenser bottles by three companies. She said the firms allegedly used water from unapproved sources and supplied the bottles to hotels and supermarkets without authorisation, leading to sanctions.
Adeyeye clarified that NAFDAC’s regulatory powers do not cover every type of food sold in Nigeria. She noted that fresh farm produce such as apples, grapes and oranges fall under the regulatory responsibility of the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service.
She also said traditionally packaged and unbranded products such as palm oil and fufu sold in open markets are not under NAFDAC’s exclusive regulatory control, urging state and local authorities to collaborate with the agency to improve food safety.
Adeyeye maintained that combating counterfeiting requires cooperation between government agencies, businesses and members of the public.
She urged Nigerians to report suspected fake or non-compliant products directly to NAFDAC through its official complaint and enquiry channels rather than relying solely on social media reports.
She further disclosed that NAFDAC had advocated tougher penalties under relevant laws, including life imprisonment or the death penalty for individuals involved in the production and distribution of fake regulated products.
