NAFDAC Uncovers Group Producing Fake Products In Nigeria

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised the alarm over the activities of Chinese-led counterfeit networks allegedly producing and distributing fake products from within Nigeria.

The agency said the syndicates have changed their methods, moving away from simply importing counterfeit goods from China to setting up production and distribution operations inside the country.

NAFDAC’s Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Martins Iluyomade, disclosed this while speaking on the growing circulation of fake and unsafe consumer products in Nigeria, Naija News reports.

Iluyomade said intelligence gathered by the agency showed that the syndicates identify products that sell quickly in the Nigerian market, send samples to China for replication and then distribute the fake versions locally through logistics companies allegedly controlled by them.

He said, “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.”

According to him, NAFDAC has started shutting down illegal logistics facilities suspected of being connected to the counterfeit networks.

The development comes amid concerns over the rising circulation of substandard consumer goods, including fake cosmetics, adulterated toothpaste, contaminated bottled water and unsafe dairy products.

NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, disclosed that enforcement operations conducted in Lagos and the South-East resulted in the seizure and destruction of counterfeit and substandard products worth more than N1.5 trillion.

Adeyeye also revealed that the agency secured 64 convictions against counterfeiters between June 2025 and June 2026, describing the figure as the highest recorded in NAFDAC’s history.

The agency further said some suspects arrested in Kano, Sokoto, Delta and Anambra states over the alleged importation and distribution of counterfeit oral care products are currently facing prosecution before federal courts.