The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), yesterday, uncovered what it described as ‘one of the worst counterfeit medicine operations in recent years’, seizing over 10 million doses of fake and banned drugs hidden inside warehouses in Lagos State.
Briefing journalists in Lagos, NAFDAC’s Director of Investigation and Enforcement and Chairman of the Federal Task Force on Fake and Substandard Products, Mr Martins Iluyomade, said the discovery followed intelligence from a training meeting held on February 3 on suspicious activities around the Trade Fair–Navy area.
‘Acting on information from that meeting, our team visited the location and found multiple warehouse structures built like residential houses but used solely for storage. The area is deserted, not somewhere people normally go, which is likely why they operated undetected’, Iluyomade said.
Inside the buildings, officials found large quantities of counterfeit medicines, including injectable anti-malarials, antibiotics, sachet drugs, blister packs, and banned products such as Analgin, which has been prohibited for over 15 years.
‘What we discovered should make every Nigerian cry. These were not just fake vitamins. These were life-saving medicines — injections used in emergency cases like cerebral malaria. When fake injections are used in such situations, it becomes a death sentence.
‘It is extremely difficult to distinguish the fake from the original. Even product owners sometimes struggle to tell the difference. That is how sophisticated these criminals have become’, he stated.
He said the street value of the confiscated products is over N3 billion, with eight trailers loaded with assorted fake medicines and cosmetics evacuated from the site.
‘This is a major breakthrough for Nigeria and Nigerians. These products will not enter circulation’, the NAFDAC official said.
He described the operation as the work of an international syndicate.
He said: ‘They clone original products. They take samples of genuine medicines, reproduce them abroad to near perfection, and push them back into our distribution chain. This is organised crime involving collaborators both inside and outside Nigeria’.
The NAFDAC official, who warned that Nigeria’s health system is under attack from counterfeiters driven by profit, said: ‘The country is under siege by people who want to make money at all costs — even if it means killing fellow citizens and destroying reputable brands’.
He revealed that some manufacturers had reported fake versions of their products in the market for over six months, but criminals often distribute in small quantities to avoid detection.
‘If a drug is unusually cheap, don’t think you’ve found a bargain. It could cost you your life’, he warned.
