‘Chinese syndicates establish fake product factories in Nigeria’ – NAFDAC

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised the alarm over the growing activities of Chinese counterfeiters who are allegedly setting up manufacturing plants and distribution networks in Nigeria.

Martins Iluyomade, NAFDAC Director of Investigation and Enforcement, said intelligence gathered by the agency showed that the counterfeit trade was no longer limited to importing fake products from China.

According to him, some counterfeiters are now producing fake goods locally and using established logistics networks to distribute them across the country.

He warned that the development poses a serious threat to public health and safety, as locally produced counterfeit products could easily reach consumers through various distribution channels.

“Before, to fake a product, you needed to go to China to bring it. Now, they are here with us,” Iluyomade said.

“They identify moving products, send samples to China, and distribute them locally through logistics companies they own.”

Iluyomade said the agency has begun systematically shutting down illegal logistics facilities operated by foreign nationals allegedly involved in the network.

The disclosure comes amid concerns over the circulation of dangerous and substandard consumer products, including adulterated toothpaste, contaminated bottled water, fake cosmetics and unwholesome dairy products.

Mojisola Adeyeye, NAFDAC director-general, said the agency has confiscated and destroyed regulated products worth more than N1.5 trillion during coordinated enforcement operations in Lagos and the south-east.

She said the enforcement drive has also resulted in 64 convictions of counterfeiters between June 2025 and June 2026, the highest number recorded by the agency.

Among the convictions was a five-year prison sentence handed to an operator of an illegal beverage laboratory in December.

NAFDAC also said legal proceedings are ongoing in federal courts against several suspects arrested in Kano, Sokoto, Delta and Anambra states over the importation and distribution of fake oral-care products.

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