The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has seized and destroyed counterfeit and unwholesome products worth more than N5.3bn in a week, including suspected fake alcoholic drinks, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and food items.
The agency’s Deputy Director of Public Relations, Christiana Obiazikwor, disclosed this in an interview, detailing enforcement operations in Lagos, Abia and Rivers states.
In Lagos, NAFDAC operatives seized suspected counterfeit alcoholic beverages and repackaged products worth N2bn at the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex on October 13.
Obiazikwor said the operation uncovered more than 20 illegal stores at Zamfara Plaza, where suspected counterfeiters allegedly produced fake versions of popular alcoholic beverage brands, altered expiry information on drinks and stocked prohibited imported products.
Two suspects were arrested, while the seized products were evacuated from the premises.
In Aba, Abia State, the agency raided five shops at Old Court Road Market over suspected counterfeit drinks and packaging materials valued at more than N700m.
The seized materials included fake labels, corks, packs and outer packaging bearing the names of established brands. NAFDAC said its operatives encountered resistance from traders during the operation, disrupting the evacuation process.
The agency said the shop owners were absent and the premises were placed on hold to prevent interference with the remaining items.
Suspected illegal drink factory uncovered in Aba
Obiazikwor said another operation on October 15 uncovered a suspected alcoholic beverage counterfeiting facility at No. 25 Omenazu Street, Aba.
According to her, the facility was allegedly used to produce spirits and herbal liqueurs under unhygienic conditions.
She said the operator fled when officials arrived following a tip-off, leaving his vehicle behind.
Inside the vehicle, operatives reportedly found labels and products bearing the names Sir Edwards Scotch Whisky and Scottish Hills Whisky, alongside empty bottles.
NAFDAC also discovered a drum containing about 200 litres of liquid, a product branded Café Rum Whisky, ethanol stored in 200-litre drums, plastic buckets, tree bark, packaging materials, corks and tanks containing liquid mixtures.
Other items found included dirty sieves, sealing machines, bottles bearing popular brand names and cartons.
The agency valued the materials and facility at more than N500m.
N2.6bn goods destroyed in Port Harcourt
In Rivers State, NAFDAC destroyed products valued at N2.6bn in Port Harcourt on Friday.
The items included pharmaceutical products, chemicals, tomato paste, biscuits and other goods described by the agency as unwholesome. The Nigeria Customs Service had intercepted and seized the products at Onne Port between 2025 and 2026.
The Chairman of the Federal Task Force on Counterfeit, Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods in Nigeria, Dr Martins Iluyomade, represented NAFDAC Director-General, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, at the exercise.
Iluyomade, who is also the agency’s Director of Investigation and Enforcement, said the destruction demonstrated cooperation between NAFDAC and the Nigeria Customs Service in disposing of seized goods.
He explained that the process began in 2025 and was supported by memoranda of understanding signed by both agencies.
“This gesture corroborates the existing good relationship we have between NAFDAC and the Nigeria Customs Service,” he said, adding that officers from both organisations had worked to ensure the agreements were implemented.
Iluyomade described Friday’s exercise as the first phase of the destruction process, saying additional seized goods were expected to be brought from the port.
He urged Customs to expedite the release of the remaining containers for destruction and called on government agencies to cooperate in tackling counterfeit products and illicit trade rather than engage in rivalry.
Representing the Enforcement Unit of the Nigeria Customs Service, Area II Command, Superintendent of Customs Elizabeth Abosede commended NAFDAC for the exercise.
The South-South Zonal Director of NAFDAC, Chukwuma Oligbu, represented by his deputy, Rita Chukwuma, said the operation formed part of the agency’s regulatory responsibilities to remove fake and substandard products from circulation.
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