The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised concerns over the growing involvement of Chinese counterfeiters operating within Nigeria, blaming the development for worsening the production, distribution and sale of fake and potentially harmful products.
NAFDAC Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Martins Iluyomade, disclosed this in Lagos on Monday while responding to questions from The PUNCH.
According to Iluyomade, investigations have revealed that some Chinese counterfeiters who previously operated outside Nigeria have now established production facilities and distribution networks within the country.
He said, “Before, to fake a product, you needed to go to China to bring it. Now, you don’t need to go. They are here (in Nigeria) with us. They are the ones who will identify the product that will be moving, send it to their country (China), and then come here and distribute it to our people (Nigerians) without having to travel.
Iluyomade described the development as a “new trend making it (fake goods situation) look this serious.” He added that NAFDAC had discovered that “Chinese people (counterfeiters) own the logistics companies which they used to bring these (fake goods) things.”
According to the enforcement director, NAFDAC has been shutting down some of the logistics companies allegedly involved in the distribution of counterfeit products.
Manufacturers, Experts Raise Alarm
The agency’s revelations come amid increasing concern among manufacturers, medical professionals and economists over the spread of counterfeit and substandard products across Nigeria.
Stakeholders have warned that the proliferation of fake goods is damaging legitimate businesses, putting consumers’ lives at risk and undermining economic growth.
The scale of the problem is reflected in the value of counterfeit and substandard products destroyed during NAFDAC enforcement operations.
NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, said the agency destroyed regulated products worth more than N1.5 trillion in a coordinated operation across Lagos and the South-East between February and March 2025.
She added that the broader crackdown had resulted in the destruction or seizure of more than N1.54 trillion worth of fake and substandard products nationwide since 2023.
Nigerians Raise Concern Over Fake Products
Public concern over counterfeit products intensified over the weekend, with Nigerians and social media personalities, including Scott Iguma and Aproko Doctor, drawing attention to the issue.
Several social media posts highlighting allegedly fake toothpaste, creams, contaminated bottled water and adulterated yoghurt drinks have gained significant attention online.
NAFDAC confirmed that it had received complaints through its official channels concerning counterfeit toothpaste, particularly products bearing the Oral-B and Colgate brands.
Iluyomade said the agency had already launched investigations and carried out arrests and seizures in several parts of the country.
“We have an intelligence report on (fake toothpastes) and have been working on it: we’ve made a lot of arrests and seizures, both in Kano and Sokoto states, Delta State and Onitsha (in Anambra State).”
He disclosed that NAFDAC was prosecuting two individuals in court over the alleged importation of counterfeit toothpaste brands.
NAFDAC Reports Record Convictions
Adeyeye maintained that the agency had significantly disrupted the activities of manufacturers and distributors of counterfeit, falsified, substandard and unregistered products.
She pointed to NAFDAC’s recent enforcement operation at the Upper Iweka drug market in Onitsha as part of the agency’s broader efforts to combat fake products.
Iluyomade also highlighted the agency’s progress in prosecuting offenders, saying NAFDAC recorded a historic number of convictions during the period under review.
He said that between “June 2025 and June 2026, NAFDAC hit a record of 64 convictions. The highest in its history.”
He described the achievement as a major milestone for the agency, adding: “We go through the process. In December, a judge handed five years of imprisonment to one lab that counterfeited drinks, convicting them on all eight grounds.”
NAFDAC’s latest disclosures highlight the growing complexity of Nigeria’s counterfeit goods problem, with authorities now facing not only imported fake products but also alleged local production and distribution networks.
