Suara Sherif
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has uncovered Chinese run networks producing and distributing fake goods within Nigeria through logistics companies they secretly control.
NAFDAC Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Martins Iluyomade, said on Monday that counterfeiters who previously operated from China have now set up plants and distribution channels in the country.
“Before, to fake a product, you needed to go to China to bring it. Now, you don’t need to go. They are here with us. They identify the product that will be moving, send it to their country, and then come here and distribute it to our people without having to travel,” Iluyomade said.
He described the shift as a dangerous new trend worsening the counterfeit problem, and said NAFDAC has begun shutting down logistics companies linked to the syndicates.
The disclosure comes amid rising public concern over fake toothpastes, creams, contaminated bottled water and adulterated yoghurt drinks.
Manufacturers, medical experts and economists have warned that the trade is destroying legitimate businesses, endangering consumers and hurting economic growth.
The scale of the problem is significant.
NAFDAC Director General Prof Mojisola Adeyeye said the agency destroyed regulated products worth over N1.5 trillion in a single operation between February and March 2025.
She added that more than N1.54 trillion worth of fake and substandard goods have been destroyed or seized nationwide since 2023.
On enforcement, Iluyomade said NAFDAC recorded 64 convictions between June 2025 and June 2026, the highest in the agency’s history, with ongoing prosecutions targeting importers of fake toothpaste brands.
The agency has also carried out major enforcement campaigns in markets across Kano, Sokoto, Delta, Onitsha and the Upper Iweka drug market, leading to arrests and large seizures.
