NAFDAC Raises Alarm Over New Dimension of Fake Drugs, Blames Chinese Nationals for Influx

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has warned of a new development in Nigeria’s counterfeit product issue, pointing to Chinese nationals as suspected counterfeiters who have set up operations and a logistics network in the country.

Martins Iluyomade, NAFDAC’s Director of Investigation and Enforcement, shared this information during an interview in Lagos State on Monday, where she said recent investigations found that Chinese counterfeiters who used to operate outside Nigeria have now set up factories and logistics channels within the country.

“Before, to fake a product, you needed to go to China to bring it. Now, you don’t need to go. They are here (in Nigeria) with us. They are the ones who will identify the product that will be moving, send it to their country (China), and then come here and distribute it to our people (Nigerians) without having to travel,” he said.

Describing it as a “new trend making it (fake goods situation) look this serious,” he noted that NAFDAC discovered the “Chinese people (counterfeiters) own the logistics companies which they used to bring these (fake goods) things.”

According to Iluyomade, NAFDAC has been shutting down the logistics companies.

NAFDAC affirmed that it received complaints through its official channels about counterfeit toothpaste, especially Oral B and Colgate.

Enforcement chief Iluyomade said, “We have an intelligence report on (fake toothpastes) and have been working on it: we’ve made a lot of arrests and seizures, both in Kano and Sokoto states, Delta State and Onitsha (in Anambra State).”

He announced that NAFDAC is prosecuting two people in court for importing fake toothpaste brands.

Iluyomade said the agency has progressed in prosecuting offenders, noting that between “June 2025 and June 2026, NAFDAC hit a record of 64 convictions. The highest in its history.”

He said, “We go through the process. In December, a judge handed five years of imprisonment to one lab that counterfeited drinks, convicting them on all eight grounds.”

The agency has faced intense backlash following revelations from manufacturers, medical experts and economists over the surge in counterfeit and substandard products across Nigeria. They warned that the trend is wiping out legitimate businesses, killing consumers and stunting the economy.