The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised the alarm over a new dimension to Nigeria’s counterfeit-goods crisis, saying some Chinese counterfeiters are now establishing production plants and logistics networks inside the country.
NAFDAC’s Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Martins Iluyomade, disclosed this in Lagos, saying intelligence gathered by the agency showed that counterfeiters were moving from importing fake products to producing and distributing them locally.
Iluyomade said the operators identify products that sell quickly in Nigeria, obtain samples and arrange for counterfeit versions to be produced before distributing them through local logistics channels.
“Before, to fake a product, you needed to go to China to bring it. Now, they are here with us,” he said.
He added that NAFDAC had discovered logistics companies allegedly owned or controlled by some of the counterfeiters and had begun shutting down facilities linked to the distribution network.
The development comes amid growing concerns over fake and substandard consumer products, including counterfeit toothpaste, cosmetics, contaminated bottled water and adulterated food and beverages.
NAFDAC Director-General, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, said the agency had seized or destroyed counterfeit and non-compliant regulated products worth more than ₦1.5 trillion during its enforcement campaign.
The agency has also reported more than ₦1.54 trillion worth of counterfeit and substandard products seized or destroyed nationwide since 2023.
The agency said its enforcement efforts resulted in 64 convictions between June 2025 and June 2026, describing the figure as the highest in its history.
One of the cases involved an illegal beverage production laboratory, whose operator was sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted on multiple counts.
NAFDAC has also intensified investigations into counterfeit toothpaste, particularly products bearing the Oral-B and Colgate brands.
Iluyomade said arrests and seizures had been carried out in Kano, Sokoto, Delta and Anambra states, while two suspects were facing prosecution over alleged involvement in importing counterfeit toothpaste.
The agency said the crackdown would continue as it targets counterfeit production facilities, distribution networks and other channels
