The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has attributed the growing circulation of fake, adulterated and unsafe consumer products in Nigeria to Chinese syndicates operating within the country.
NAFDAC’s Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Martins Iluyomade, disclosed this while speaking on the increasing activities of counterfeiters and the agency’s efforts to tackle the problem.
Iluyomade said intelligence gathered by the agency showed that counterfeit networks had changed their methods, moving from importing fake products into Nigeria to establishing production and distribution operations within the country.
According to him, the syndicates identify fast-selling products in the Nigerian market, send samples to China for replication and subsequently distribute the counterfeit versions locally through logistics companies under their control.
“Before, to fake a product, you needed to go to China to bring it. Now, they are here with us. They identify moving products, send samples to China, and distribute them locally through logistics companies they own,” he said.
He disclosed that NAFDAC had commenced the closure of illegal logistics facilities allegedly linked to the foreign-led counterfeit network as part of efforts to disrupt their operations.
The development comes amid increasing concerns over the circulation of substandard and potentially harmful consumer products across the country.
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Some of the products identified by the agency include fake cosmetics, adulterated toothpaste, contaminated bottled water and unsafe dairy products.
NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, said the agency’s enforcement operations in Lagos and parts of the South-East had resulted in the seizure and destruction of fake and substandard products estimated at more than N1.5 trillion.
Adeyeye also disclosed that NAFDAC secured 64 convictions against counterfeiters between June 2025 and June 2026, describing the figure as the highest number of convictions recorded by the agency in its history.
The agency said several suspects arrested in Kano, Sokoto, Delta and Anambra states over the alleged importation and distribution of counterfeit oral care products were currently facing prosecution before federal courts.
NAFDAC reiterated its commitment to strengthening enforcement activities and dismantling networks involved in the production, importation and distribution of counterfeit and unsafe products in Nigeria.
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