Director, Investigation and Enforcement, Martin Iluyomade, DG-NAFDAC, Prof Moji Adeyeye and Director Food Safety and Applied Nutrition FSAN, Mrs Eva Edwards during the press conference held in Lagos on Monday.
Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, Director General of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has defended its efforts to curb the circulation of fake, falsified and substandard regulated products following growing public concern over suspected counterfeit foods, medicines and other consumer products in Nigerian markets.
The agency said it had removed 7,210 products from circulation after visiting 6,233 facilities across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory between May and July 2026.
The development follows reports, highlighting an online outcry over suspected fake and unsafe products, including yoghurt, palm oil, fruits, soy sauce, olive oil, chicken, fish, water, beverages and toothpaste.
While acknowledging the concerns raised by Nigerians, NAFDAC said social media allegations alone could not establish that a product was counterfeit, adulterated or unsafe without scientific verification.
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“The strength of the publication could have been enhanced by a proper scientific evaluation rather than relying primarily on emotionally driven and perhaps commercially motivated social media narratives,” the agency said in its response.
NAFDAC said credible reports of suspected counterfeit or unsafe products remained important sources of regulatory intelligence, but urged consumers to use its established complaint channels so allegations could be investigated and verified.
According to figures provided by the agency, food and water accounted for the largest number of products mopped up during the three-month period, with 3,633 products removed.
Drugs and herbals followed with 2,459 products, while cosmetics accounted for 911 products. Medical devices accounted for 183 products, chemicals 21 and vaccines and biologics three.
Drugs and herbals recorded the highest number of facilities visited at 2,084, followed by food and water with 1,808 facilities.
NAFDAC said the exercise covered routine and proactive post-market surveillance across the country.
The agency said about 80 percent of its post-market surveillance activities are directed at detecting and curbing fake, falsified, substandard and otherwise non-compliant products.
It said these activities include inspections, sampling, laboratory assessments, investigation of complaints and intelligence, removal of non-compliant products from circulation and enforcement against those responsible.
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NAFDAC says mandate has limits
The agency also pushed back against the perception that all unsafe products found in Nigerian markets fall exclusively under its regulatory control.
It specifically noted that fresh agricultural produce such as apples, grapes and oranges is not solely under NAFDAC’s control, pointing to the role of the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service in the quarantine control of agricultural commodities.
NAFDAC said food safety required coordinated action across the farm-to-fork chain, involving primary production, processing, distribution, retail and consumption.
It also raised concerns about the adulteration of palm oil with azo dyes and the reported use of bleach and other harmful chemicals in the production of fufu and other staple foods.
According to the agency, it does not have direct and absolute regulatory oversight over unbranded palm oil, fufu and other traditionally packaged staple foods sold in open markets.
It said sub-national authorities also have a responsibility to monitor such products in line with the National Policy on Food Safety and Quality.
However, NAFDAC maintained that packaged and registered food products undergo regulatory procedures intended to establish their safety and quality.
In defending its enforcement record, NAFDAC said its Investigation and Enforcement Directorate had intensified raids, arrests, prosecutions and destruction exercises targeting counterfeit and substandard products.
The agency cited a coordinated operation in February and March 2025 in which more than 137 40-foot truckloads of counterfeit and substandard products valued at over N1.5 trillion were evacuated and destroyed in major markets including Idumota in Lagos, Onitsha and Ariaria Market in Aba.
NAFDAC also cited the destruction of more than N15 billion worth of fake, expired, counterfeit and banned medicines in Ibadan in February 2026, as well as the seizure of more than 10 million doses of counterfeit malaria medicines and cosmetics valued at about N3 billion during a February 2026 raid at Lagos Trade Fair Market.
The agency said it had secured 64 convictions for counterfeiting, with prison sentences ranging from one to seven years without an option of fine.
NAFDAC also said its surveillance activities uncovered operators allegedly refilling 19-litre CWAY-branded water bottles with water from unapproved sources and selling them to hotels and supermarkets.
The agency said the operators had been sanctioned.
The latest defence comes amid renewed scrutiny of Nigeria’s regulatory system following widespread social media reports of suspected counterfeit consumer products.
NAFDAC warns against relying solely on social media
NAFDAC said the continued presence of counterfeit products in the market should not be interpreted as evidence that regulatory surveillance was absent, arguing that the scale and sophistication of counterfeiting required continuous intelligence gathering, laboratory verification, enforcement and public engagement.
It said counterfeiters operated within communities and called for collective responsibility involving regulators, sister agencies, businesses and consumers.
The agency also pointed to its efforts to tackle the use of calcium carbide and other unsafe practices in fruit ripening, saying it had restricted the availability of calcium carbide through import and clearance permits since 2018.
NAFDAC said it had also continued enforcement of the ban on alcohol sold in sachets and PET or glass bottles below 200ml, announced in January 2026.
The agency said manufacturers affected by the ban were dismantling or reconfiguring production lines.
For consumers, NAFDAC urged Nigerians to report suspected non-compliant regulated products through its official complaint channels rather than relying solely on social media.
The agency provided its 24-hour call centre numbers for complaints.
NAFDAC’s official platforms also provide product verification services, allowing consumers to check registered products using their NAFDAC registration numbers.
The agency’s response comes as public concern over counterfeit and substandard products continues to grow, with health professionals and other stakeholders calling for stronger regulation and enforcement.
