The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised fresh concerns over the growing spread of counterfeit, adulterated and substandard products in Nigeria, blaming a new network of Chinese counterfeiters operating from within the country.
NAFDAC Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Martins Iluyomade, disclosed in Lagos on Monday that some Chinese counterfeiters who previously operated from outside Nigeria have now established production facilities and logistics channels inside the country.
According to him, the development has made it easier for fake products to enter the Nigerian market and reach unsuspecting consumers.
“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,” Iluyomade said.
He explained that the counterfeiters identify products that are popular in the Nigerian market, arrange for their imitation and then use logistics networks to distribute the fake products to consumers.
Iluyomade described the development as a “new trend” responsible for making the counterfeit goods situation increasingly serious. He added that NAFDAC had discovered that some of the Chinese counterfeiters owned logistics companies allegedly used to move the fake products.
He said the agency had begun shutting down such logistics companies as part of its enforcement efforts.
The revelation comes amid growing public concern over the rise in fake and harmful products in Nigeria. Manufacturers, medical experts and economists have warned that counterfeit goods are not only threatening legitimate businesses but also putting consumers’ lives at risk and weakening the wider economy.
The scale of the problem is reflected in the huge value of products destroyed by NAFDAC during its enforcement operations.
NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, said the agency destroyed regulated products worth more than N1.5tn in a coordinated operation across Lagos and the South-East between February and March 2025.
She added that NAFDAC has destroyed or seized more than N1.54tn worth of counterfeit and substandard products nationwide since 2023.
Public concern over fake products intensified over the weekend, with Nigerians and social media influencers, including Scott Iguma and Aproko Doctor, drawing attention to suspected counterfeit products circulating in the market.
Concerns have particularly focused on fake toothpaste, creams, contaminated bottled water and adulterated yoghurt drinks, raising fresh questions about the safety of products being consumed and used by millions of Nigerians.
NAFDAC confirmed that it had received complaints through its official channels concerning counterfeit toothpaste, particularly products sold under the Oral-B and Colgate brands.
Iluyomade said the agency had been investigating the complaints and had already made arrests and seizures in Kano, Sokoto, Delta and Onitsha in Anambra State.
He disclosed that two suspects were currently being prosecuted in court over the alleged importation of fake toothpaste brands.
While acknowledging the seriousness of the counterfeit crisis, Adeyeye maintained that NAFDAC had intensified its campaign against counterfeit, falsified, substandard and unregistered products.
She cited the agency’s recent enforcement operation at the Upper Iweka drug market in Onitsha as part of the ongoing crackdown.
Iluyomade also disclosed that NAFDAC recorded what he described as its highest number of convictions in its history between June 2025 and June 2026, securing 64 convictions against offenders.
He said the convictions demonstrated that the agency was increasingly taking counterfeiters to court rather than merely confiscating their products.
“In December, a judge handed five years of imprisonment to one lab that counterfeited drinks, convicting them on all eight grounds,” he said.
For consumers, however, the growing circulation of counterfeit goods remains a major concern, as fake products can turn everyday purchases into serious health risks while legitimate businesses continue to lose revenue to criminal operators.
