The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has linked the growing spread of counterfeit and substandard products in Nigeria to Chinese counterfeiters who have allegedly established production and distribution networks within the country.
NAFDAC’s Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Martins Iluyomade, disclosed this in Lagos while speaking on the rising prevalence of fake and harmful products in the Nigerian market.
Iluyomade said counterfeiters previously operated mainly from outside Nigeria, with fake products being manufactured abroad and shipped into the country. However, he said the situation had changed, with some Chinese nationals allegedly involved in counterfeiting now operating from within Nigeria.
According to him, the counterfeiters identify products that are popular in the Nigerian market, arrange for their imitation and subsequently distribute the fake products through established logistics channels.
He said NAFDAC had also discovered that some of the logistics companies being used to move counterfeit products were allegedly owned by Chinese operators.
“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 described the development as a new trend that had made the counterfeit goods situation more serious, adding that NAFDAC had been shutting down logistics companies allegedly involved in the distribution of fake products.
The agency’s disclosure comes amid growing concerns from manufacturers, medical experts and other stakeholders over the increasing circulation of counterfeit and substandard goods in Nigeria. Stakeholders have warned that the trend threatens legitimate businesses, consumer safety and the wider economy.
NAFDAC Director-General, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, had previously disclosed that the agency destroyed regulated products worth more than ₦1.5 trillion in a coordinated operation across Lagos and the South-East between February and March 2025.
The agency said its wider enforcement operations have resulted in the seizure or destruction of more than ₦1.54 trillion worth of fake and substandard products nationwide since 2023.
NAFDAC has continued to intensify enforcement against manufacturers, importers, distributors and sellers of counterfeit products, while warning Nigerians to be vigilant when purchasing regulated goods.
