Eniola Yekini
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised concerns over the activities of alleged Chinese counterfeit syndicates operating in Nigeria, saying some have shifted from importing fake products to establishing local manufacturing and distribution networks.
NAFDAC’s Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Martins Iluyomade, disclosed this while speaking on intelligence gathered by the agency on the growing counterfeit trade. He said investigations indicated that some foreign nationals allegedly involved in the production of counterfeit goods were setting up manufacturing facilities and logistics networks in Nigeria.
Iluyomade said the development represented a significant change in the way counterfeit products were being produced and distributed in the country. According to him, counterfeiters previously relied largely on importing fake products from China, but some are now producing them locally.
“Before, to fake a product, you needed to go to China to bring it. Now, they are here with us,” he said.
He added that the alleged operators identify products that are in high demand, send samples to China and subsequently distribute counterfeit versions through logistics companies reportedly owned or controlled by them.
Iluyomade disclosed that NAFDAC had commenced the systematic closure of illegal logistics facilities allegedly operated by foreign nationals linked to counterfeit networks.
The agency’s action comes amid growing concerns over the circulation of dangerous and substandard consumer products in the Nigerian market. Products reportedly affected include adulterated toothpaste, contaminated bottled water, fake cosmetics and unwholesome dairy products.
NAFDAC said the development had heightened the need for stronger surveillance and enforcement measures to protect consumers from products that could pose serious health risks.
NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, said the agency had confiscated and destroyed regulated products worth more than N1.5 trillion during coordinated enforcement operations conducted in Lagos and the South-East.
Adeyeye also disclosed that the agency secured 64 convictions involving counterfeiters between June 2025 and June 2026, describing the figure as the highest number of convictions recorded by NAFDAC.
She revealed that one of the convictions resulted in a five-year prison sentence for the operator of an illegal beverage laboratory in December.
NAFDAC further disclosed that legal proceedings were ongoing at federal courts against several suspects arrested in Kano, Sokoto, Delta and Anambra states over the alleged importation and distribution of fake oral-care products.
The agency said it would continue to strengthen surveillance, investigation and enforcement operations across the country to disrupt the production, distribution and sale of counterfeit and unwholesome regulated products.
NAFDAC urged stakeholders and members of the public to remain vigilant and support efforts to identify and remove fake products from the Nigerian market, stressing the importance of protecting public health from the dangers associated with counterfeit and substandard goods.