NAFDAC Blames Local Chinese Syndicates for Surge in Fake Goods Across Nigeria

Nigeria’s food and drug regulator has raised the alarm over what it describes as a new and more dangerous phase in the country’s counterfeit goods crisis, saying Chinese syndicates operating within Nigeria are now producing, distributing and selling fake regulated products through locally established networks. Punch Newspapers

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) said recent investigations revealed that the counterfeit trade has evolved from largely import-based operations into an organized domestic system involving manufacturing facilities, logistics companies and distribution channels embedded across the country.

Speaking on the development, NAFDAC’s Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Martins Iluyomade, said the agency has uncovered a pattern in which counterfeiters identify popular consumer products in Nigeria, replicate them and move the fake versions through locally controlled supply chains.

According to Iluyomade, the presence of these operators inside Nigeria has significantly reduced the barriers to counterfeiting, making fake food, medicines and household products more readily available in markets nationwide. He added that investigations showed some of the syndicates also own logistics companies used to transport counterfeit goods, prompting the agency to shut down several of those operations.

The warning comes amid growing public concern over counterfeit consumer products after reports of fake toothpaste, creams, bottled water, yoghurt drinks and other regulated goods circulated widely on social media. NAFDAC confirmed it had received multiple complaints through its official channels, particularly involving counterfeit toothpaste brands, and said enforcement operations have already led to arrests and seizures in Kano, Sokoto, Delta and Anambra states.

The agency said two suspects are currently facing prosecution over the importation of counterfeit toothpaste, while broader investigations continue into the manufacturing and distribution networks behind the products.

NAFDAC’s latest disclosure follows one of the most aggressive anti-counterfeiting campaigns in its history. Director-General Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye has previously revealed that the agency destroyed regulated products worth more than ₦1.5 trillion during coordinated operations across Lagos and the South-East, with the cumulative value of counterfeit and substandard goods seized or destroyed since 2023 exceeding ₦1.54 trillion.

The regulator says enforcement is increasingly translating into convictions. Between June 2025 and June 2026, NAFDAC secured a record 64 convictions, the highest in its history, including prison sentences for individuals involved in counterfeit food and beverage production.

Manufacturers, healthcare professionals and economists have repeatedly warned that counterfeit products pose a dual threat to Nigeria by endangering public health while undermining legitimate businesses and investor confidence. Beyond the immediate risks to consumers, fake goods distort competition, weaken local industries and erode trust in regulated markets.

For NAFDAC, the emergence of locally embedded counterfeit syndicates represents a significant shift in the battle against illicit products. Rather than policing imports alone, the agency now faces the more complex challenge of dismantling domestic production and distribution networks, a task that will require stronger law enforcement, tighter supply chain oversight and sustained collaboration between regulators, manufacturers and security agencies.