The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has connected Chinese counterfeiters now residing in Nigeria to the increase in fake goods, which worsens the production, distribution, and sale of adulterated, harmful, and unsafe products.
NAFDAC Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Martins Iluyomade, stated that recent investigations revealed Chinese counterfeiters, previously operating abroad, have established manufacturing sites and logistics networks within Nigeria.
He explained, “Before, to counterfeit 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 identify the products to be moved, send them to China, then return to distribute them locally without traveling.”
Describing this as a “new trend making it (fake goods situation) look this serious,” Iluyomade added that NAFDAC discovered “the Chinese counterfeiters own the logistics companies used to bring these fake items.” The agency has been shutting down those logistics companies.
These revelations come amid rising public outcry. Manufacturers, medical professionals, and economists have jointly warned about the surge of counterfeit and substandard products across Nigeria, stressing that this trend is ruining legitimate businesses, endangering consumers, and hampering economic growth.
The economic damage caused by fake goods is evident in the value of seized and destroyed items. According to NAFDAC Director-General Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, the agency has destroyed regulated products worth over N1.5 trillion in a single operation across Lagos and the South-East between February and March 2025. This is part of a broader crackdown that has resulted in the seizure or destruction of more than N1.54 trillion worth of fake and substandard goods nationwide since 2023.
Discussions about the rise of fake items exploded online over the weekend. Nigerians, including social media influencers like Scott Iguma and Aproko Doctor, voiced concerns over counterfeit toothpaste, creams, contaminated bottled water, and adulterated yogurt drinks.
NAFDAC confirmed that it received numerous complaints through its official channels about fake toothpaste, especially Oral-B and Colgate.
Enforcement chief Iluyomade stated, “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 also announced that NAFDAC is prosecuting two individuals in court for importing counterfeit toothpaste brands.
NAFDAC DG Adeyeye emphasized that the agency has dismantled networks involved in counterfeiting, falsification, and selling unregistered or substandard products, recalling its recent enforcement in the Upper Iweka drug market in Onitsha.
In conclusion, Iluyomade said the agency has made significant progress in prosecuting offenders, noting that “between June 2025 and June 2026, NAFDAC hit a record of 64 convictions. The highest in its history.”
He praised these efforts, stating, “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.”
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