NAFDAC intensifies raid on merchants of fake, adulterated products

By Vivian Onyebukwa

National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), has been making series of arrests recently during enforcement, as part of its efforts to protect public health and curb the production and distribution of counterfeit products.

In October this year, it was reported that NAFDAC uncovered a residential building in Lagos where more than 100 sacks of empty alcoholic beverage bottles were allegedly stockpiled for suspected use in the production of counterfeit drinks. The bottles were discovered at a property located at 322B, Meiran Road, Agbado Oke-Odo, Lagos, during an operation by the agency’s Investigation and Enforcement Directorate.

Sacks of empty bottles at Meiran road, Lagos

An Assistant Director in the directorate, Kunle Ojo, explained that the operation followed credible intelligence about activities at the location. Ojo said the building was situated in a secluded residential area where different materials, including empty alcoholic beverage bottles covered with tarpaulins, were being stored. The recovered bottles reportedly came in different sizes and included containers bearing labels associated with several alcoholic beverage brands, including Action Bitter and Royal Circle Premium Whiskey. The agency urged Nigerians to report suspicious activities in their neighbourhoods to the nearest NAFDAC office, noting that information from residents could help enforcement officers identify and disrupt suspected counterfeiting operations.

NAFDAC DG, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye

The agency also intensified its clampdown on illegal food and chemical production with the arrest of a suspected chemical counterfeiter and the sealing of two unlicensed factories in Abuja. The suspect, identified as Mr. Ikechukwu Elijah, a local footballer in the Apo-Waru area, was apprehended for manufacturing and distributing hazardous, unregistered chemicals. He allegedly operated an illegal factory from a residential building where he counterfeited popular brands of insecticides and other chemicals.

According to reports, Elijah initially denied involvement, but later confessed ownership of the factory after NAFDAC operatives conducted a thorough search, which also led to the arrest of his younger brother inside the premises. Equipment seized from the facility included sealing machines, large chemical containers, and high-capacity cylinders, along with finished products ready for distribution.

Further to the agency’s clampdown on counterfeits products, NAFDAC operatives equally stormed a shopping plaza opposite the World Trade Centre, Central Business District, Abuja, where counterfeit rice and packaging materials were seized. Equipment, including sealing machines used to re-bag popular rice brands, was also confiscated.

In October, in Lagos, NAFDAC again uncovered a suspected counterfeit drinks production facility at Zamfara Plaza, BBA Trade Fair Complex, along the Badagry Expressway, Ojo. The agency arrested two suspects allegedly involved in the illegal operation. The suspects, identified as Okafor and John, were arrested during an enforcement operation in a two-storey building where equipment and materials allegedly used to repackage and produce counterfeit alcoholic and energy drinks were discovered. The raid, according to NAFDAC, followed credible intelligence and surveillance on suspected counterfeiters operating within the Trade Fair International Market.

Speaking during the operation, the Assistant Director of the Investigation and Enforcement Directorate of NAFDAC, Mr Kunle Ojo, said the agency caught some of the suspects in the act and recovered drums, filters, packaging materials, a heating device and other equipment allegedly used in the illicit production process.

One of the arrested suspects, Okafor, who identified himself as a drinks dealer in the market, explained that he was just changing the bottles to a good cover because the original ones were already bad.

Also, in October, NAFDAC uncovered another fake herbal factory in Lagos. The unwholesome products were allegedly manufactured under unhygienic conditions, with one bearing a registration number belonging to a registered cough syrup. The agency sealed the facility, evacuated the products and arrested the manager, identified as Abulaziz Sayidu, for interrogation, while the alleged owner, Ashietu Adams, was said to have fled.

The Deputy Director in charge of the Pharmaceutical Division, Investigation and Enforcement Directorate, NAFDAC,. Edith Joseph, who spoke during an inspection of the facility said the agency received intelligence report on October 16 concerning the alleged production of Aishetu Adams Bitters with a fake NAFDAC registration number, prompting surveillance and intelligence gathering that led to the discovery of the facility concealed inside a residential building.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) said its operatives have seized more than N2 billion worth of counterfeit alcoholic beverages from about 20 illegal stores concealed within makeshift parking spaces on the premises of Trade Fair Market, Lagos. NAFDAC said the counterfeit alcoholic beverages were uncovered during a raid at Trade Fair Market, Lagos by its Investigation and Enforcement Directorate. NAFDAC said the raid followed credible intelligence that exposed illegal activities within the market complex. It further stated that operatives uncovered more than 20 illegal stores concealed within makeshift parking spaces on the premises.

According to reports, suspects were found blending and counterfeiting popular alcoholic beverage brands, revalidating expired and unsafe drinks for resale, and stockpiling banned imported products. NAFDAC disclosed that two suspects were arrested during the operation, while operatives evacuated the seized products from the complex. The agency warned against activities that could endanger public health through the circulation of counterfeit, expired or unsafe alcoholic beverages. It urged members of the public to remain vigilant and report suspected illegal manufacturing, product revalidation or sales activities.

Meanwhile NAFDAC has said over 11,000 shops have been sealed and 40 individuals arrested in its ongoing nationwide clampdown on fake and substandard medicines.

NAFDAC’s Director-General, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, disclosed to journalists in Lagos that the enforcement was planned over a year as covert operations. So, on February 10 this year, the agency commenced enforcement operations at the Idumota open drugs market, Lagos State, Ariaria drug market in Aba, Asia State, and Bridge market in Onitsha, Anambra State.

According to the agency, the enforcement operations at the three markets, which are the hub of distributions of over 80 per cent of medications, will rid the country of falsified and unregistered drugs. Prof Adeyeye said that over 20 trucks of substandard drugs were evacuated at different locations in Aba, no fewer than 30 trucks of confiscated drugs were seized in Onitsha, while 27 trucks were evacuated at the Idumota market.

Prof Adeyeye reiterated the agency’s resolve to continue its fight against perpetrators of counterfeit and falsified drugs in the country.

Further more, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) said it recorded 474 new cases and conducted 213 raids across Nigeria between January and August 2026 as part of efforts to rid the country of substandard, falsified and unsafe regulated products. The agency said it also concluded 295 cases, recorded 821 product seizure entries, sealed 179 establishments and made 52 arrests during the eight-month period.

These figures are contained in data compiled by NAFDAC’s Directorate of Investigation and Enforcement, covering enforcement activities involving food, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices, packaged water, drinks and chemicals.

The report further shows that the agency carried out 157 surveillance activities, imposed 218 administrative sanctions and conducted 22 reported product destruction exercises.

According to reports, a breakdown of the product seizure entries indicates that cosmetics accounted for the highest number, with 401 entries, followed by drinks with 215 and drugs with 112. Cosmetics accounted for 64 of the 179 recorded establishment closures, while drinks featured in 67 of the 213 raids conducted during the period. The agency noted that the figures represent recorded enforcement activities across product categories and do not necessarily indicate the physical quantity or monetary value of seized products.

A statement by the Director-General of NAFDAC, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, assured Nigerians that it would continue working with relevant government institutions, law enforcement agencies, state task forces and other stakeholders to strengthen compliance and curb the circulation of unsafe and non-compliant products.

Worried about the activities of fake products producers, Nigeria House of Representatives has demanded urgent action urgent action against fake, adulterated food and drinks. The lawmakers urged NAFDAC, Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), alongside security agencies and state governments, to intensify surveillance, inspection, laboratory testing and enforcement against manufacturers and distributors of fake and substandard food and drinks.

They urged the agencies to intensify efforts to curb the production, distribution and circulation of fake, adulterated, counterfeit and substandard food and drinks in Nigeria.

Presenting the motion, Mr Yalleman said access to safe, wholesome and quality food and beverages was essential to the health, wellbeing and productivity of Nigerians and remained an important component of public health and consumer protection.

He said standardised processing and hygiene practices were necessary to prevent food-borne illnesses caused by harmful bacteria, chemical residues, expired ingredients and physical impurities.

According to him, adherence to food safety standards would also enable Nigerian food businesses to access regional and international markets, reduce the rejection of Nigerian exports and contribute to economic growth.

The lawmaker cited recent enforcement operations as evidence of the growing problem.

Following the presentation of the motion, the House consequently resolved that the federal government should treat the production and circulation of fake, adulterated, counterfeit and substandard food and beverages as a matter of urgent national importance requiring sustained regulatory attention.

It urged NAFDAC, SON and FCCPC, in collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Customs Service, state governments and other relevant agencies, to intensify nationwide surveillance, inspection, sampling, laboratory testing and enforcement operations against manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers and retailers involved in the production or sale of fake and substandard food and drinks.

The House also mandated its relevant committees, particularly those on Health, Industry, Customs, Standards and Consumer Protection, to engage NAFDAC, SON, FCCPC and other stakeholders to assess the scale of the problem and the effectiveness of existing enforcement measures.

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