The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has recently uncovered a fraudulent syndicate that has been scamming foreign businesses by using counterfeit NAFDAC documents.
NAFDAC’s Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, disclosed the discovery at a press briefing on Friday.
The chief suspect, Mr. Ikoro Ifendu, a resident of Amamba Village, Abiriba in Abia State, was arrested on February 7, 2025, in Aba, Abia State.
As stated by Adeyeye, Ifendu, who holds an SSCE qualification and runs a clothing business, had been posing as a NAFDAC official to deceive foreign companies and steal large sums of money.
Among the known victims is Thani Almaeeni Trading Group from Abu Dhabi, UAE, with other companies also falling prey to Ifendu’s deceptive schemes.
Describing the modus operandi, Adeyeye outlined that the syndicate operated a complex scam involving multiple parties— a buyer, a bank, and a lawyer.
The fraudsters would approach foreign companies interested in importing goods into Nigeria, then connect them to a fake bank for payment processing.
The bank would falsely claim that NAFDAC approval was necessary, leading the companies to a fraudulent lawyer who would collect payments in installments and issue fake NAFDAC certificates and receipts.
“Through our investigation, we discovered that the group operates 15 domiciliary and five local bank accounts across seven Nigerian banks,” Adeyeye explained. “One of these accounts is linked to two key members of the syndicate, Ikoro Mang Ifendu and Rosemary Obosi, though the full scope of their financial operations is still unclear, as some account details have been deleted.”
Over $950,000 was deposited into the fraudsters’ Nigerian accounts, with an additional $450,000 traced to offshore accounts in Cotonou, Benin Republic.
Adeyeye disclosed that even as the investigation continues, more money is still being deposited into these fraudulent accounts, with a recent deposit of $75,000 reported just before the press briefing.
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The fraudsters issued a variety of counterfeit documents, including fake NAFDAC registration certificates, revenue receipts, and processing requirements for product registration.
Some of the forged documents included a fraudulent registration certificate for dried fish issued to Thani Almaeeni Trading Group, and fabricated receipts demanding large sums from multiple foreign companies.
Victimized companies include Japan Long Tie (China) Co. Ltd., Jinan, China (for condom imports), Aquaforest SP, Brzesko, Poland (for registration of drinks and vegetable oils), Nomea Srl, Italy (for NAFDAC product registration), Tianyan Filter Cloth Co. Ltd., Shanghai, China, and Siam Canadian China Ltd., Zhanjiang, Guangdong, China.
Once NAFDAC concludes its investigation into the falsification of regulated products, Adeyeye confirmed that the case would be handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for further action, including tracking assets acquired through illicit means.
In an effort to prevent similar scams in the future, NAFDAC has reorganized its Investigation and Enforcement Task Force, strengthening the number of police officers and mobile personnel.
State and Federal Task Forces will also be restructured to improve enforcement nationwide.
“NAFDAC is committed to tackling these frauds head-on,” said Adeyeye. “We have enhanced our enforcement measures to protect businesses from fraudsters.”
She urged businesses to be cautious when engaging consulting firms that claim to facilitate NAFDAC registrations, advising them to verify product registration directly through the official NAFDAC platform at https://registration.nafdac.gov.ng/.
“Please remain vigilant and avoid dealing with individuals or companies claiming to facilitate NAFDAC registrations outside of our official channels,” she concluded.
Crediblenewsng.com
