The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has raised the alarm over a new dimension to Nigeria’s counterfeit goods crisis, revealing that some Chinese nationals previously involved in producing fake products abroad have established operations and distribution networks within the country.
The agency said the development had made the fight against counterfeit, adulterated and substandard products more difficult, as some foreign counterfeiters now operate local production facilities and logistics channels to distribute fake goods to Nigerian consumers.
NAFDAC’s Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Martins Iluyomade, disclosed this in Lagos on Monday while responding to concerns over the growing circulation of counterfeit products.
According to him, counterfeiters no longer need to manufacture fake products in China and ship them into Nigeria, as some have relocated their operations into 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.”
Iluyomade explained that the counterfeiters identify products that are in high demand, arrange for their reproduction and subsequently use local distribution networks to circulate them.
He described the development as a “new trend” that was making the counterfeit goods situation increasingly serious.
The enforcement chief further alleged that some of the Chinese operators own logistics companies through which counterfeit products are moved into the Nigerian market.
He said NAFDAC had begun shutting down some of the logistics companies identified as being involved in the illicit trade.
The revelation comes amid mounting concerns from manufacturers, health professionals and economists over the increasing prevalence of fake and substandard products in the country.
Stakeholders have warned that the counterfeit trade is not only putting consumers’ lives at risk but is also undermining legitimate manufacturers, destroying investments and weakening economic activity.
The scale of the problem is reflected in the value of products destroyed by NAFDAC during its enforcement operations.
The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, said the agency destroyed regulated products worth more than N1.5tn in a coordinated operation carried out across Lagos and the South-East between February and March 2025.
She added that NAFDAC had, since 2023, destroyed or seized fake and substandard products valued at more than N1.54tn across the country as part of its broader enforcement campaign.
Meanwhile, concerns over counterfeit products gained renewed attention on social media over the weekend, with Nigerians raising alarms over alleged fake toothpaste, creams, contaminated bottled water and adulterated yoghurt drinks.
Social media influencers, including Scott Iguma and Aproko Doctor, were among those who drew public attention to the issue, triggering fresh debate over the safety of products being sold to Nigerian consumers.
NAFDAC confirmed that it had received complaints through its official channels concerning counterfeit toothpaste, particularly products marketed under the Oral-B and Colgate brands.
Iluyomade said the agency had been investigating the matter and had already made arrests and seized suspected fake products in several locations.
“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 said.
He disclosed that two suspects were currently facing prosecution for allegedly importing counterfeit toothpaste brands into the country.
Adeyeye said NAFDAC had made significant progress in its campaign against counterfeit, falsified, substandard and unregistered products.
She pointed to the agency’s recent enforcement operation at the Upper Iweka drug market in Onitsha as part of its efforts to dismantle networks involved in the manufacture and distribution of fake products.
Beyond seizures and destruction of illicit products, the agency said it had also intensified the prosecution of offenders.
Iluyomade disclosed that NAFDAC secured 64 convictions between June 2025 and June 2026, describing the figure as the highest recorded in the agency’s history.
He said the convictions demonstrated the agency’s growing resolve to ensure that those involved in the counterfeit trade faced legal consequences.
“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,” he added.
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