In response to recent public criticism accusing the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) of failing to curb the influx of fake and counterfeit goods in Nigerian markets, the agency has revealed that it confiscated 7,210 non-compliant products and secured 64 convictions in counterfeiting cases.
The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, disclosed this on Monday while addressing concerns over the circulation of suspected fake, falsified, adulterated, and substandard products across the country.
Countering assertions that the agency was lax, Adeyeye asserted that discovering counterfeit goods reflects intensified monitoring and enforcement rather than regulatory absence, stressing that the continued presence of suspected counterfeit products in the market does not mean that regulatory surveillance is absent.
She explained that NAFDAC’s nationwide post-market surveillance operations conducted between May and July spanned all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
During the exercise, operatives inspected 6,233 facilities and seized 7,210 non-compliant products across regulated sectors. Food and water items constituted the largest share with 3,633 seizures, followed by pharmaceuticals and herbal remedies at 2,459, and cosmetics at 911.
Adeyeye stated that approximately 80 percent of the agency’s post-market surveillance focuses on detecting and eliminating fake, substandard, and non-compliant items.
She noted that these operations extend beyond retail sweeps to include facility audits, laboratory testing, intelligence-led investigations, and decisive legal action against offenders to safeguard public health and dismantle illicit supply chains.
Highlighting judicial outcomes, the Director-General confirmed that 64 counterfeiting prosecutions have yielded convictions nationwide, with guilty parties receiving prison terms ranging from one to seven years without the option of a fine.
To demonstrate the agency’s sustained momentum, Adeyeye cited major operations carried out earlier in the year. In February 2026, an enforcement raid at the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex netted four suspects and uncovered over 10 million doses of suspected fake antimalarials and cosmetics valued at roughly ₦3 billion.
That same month, NAFDAC destroyed more than ₦15 billion worth of counterfeit, expired, and prohibited medicines in Ibadan, followed by the destruction of ₦1.8 billion worth of substandard pharmaceuticals, banned sachet alcohol, narcotics, antibiotics, and adulterated consumer goods in Kuje, Abuja, in March.
Adeyeye emphasised that eradicating counterfeit products demands robust synergy among regulatory bodies, government institutions, businesses, and the public.
She urged citizens to actively report suspicious items through official NAFDAC grievance channels, noting that public tip-offs serve as critical intelligence for enforcement operations.