The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has secured the conviction of an Aba-based businessman for manufacturing and selling counterfeit Goya Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
The businessman, Innocent Okoye, Managing Director of Chikason Industrial Nigeria Limited, was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment, with an option of a ₦5 million fine.
Justice K. O. Ogundare of the Federal High Court in Umuahia, Abia State, delivered the judgement on Wednesday, 28 October 2026.
According to NAFDAC, Okoye was convicted on two counts relating to the production and sale of counterfeit Goya Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
The case followed an enforcement operation conducted by the agency’s Investigation and Enforcement Directorate in April 2026, during which officials uncovered a facility allegedly used to manufacture and distribute the fake product in Aba.
NAFDAC said the suspect was arrested, while samples of the recovered products were subjected to laboratory analysis before criminal proceedings were instituted against him.
NAFDAC Raises Alarm Over Fake Goya Oil
In January 2026, the agency raised the alarm over counterfeit Goya oil packaged in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottles and sold to consumers as genuine imported products.
At a media briefing in Lagos, NAFDAC’s Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Dr Martins Iluyomade, disclosed that investigators had uncovered an illegal production facility at Oke-Arin Market, Idumota, Lagos.
The agency alleged that operators of the facility processed palm oil with colouring agents before repackaging it as Goya oil for sale.
Iluyomade explained that genuine Goya oil authorised for sale in Nigeria was imported in its original glass bottles through approved distribution channels. He therefore warned consumers against buying products bearing the brand name in PET plastic bottles.
NAFDAC cautioned that counterfeit food products could pose public health risks because their ingredients, quality and safety could not be guaranteed.
The agency urged consumers, traders and religious organisations to verify the sources of products they purchase and report suspected counterfeit goods and illegal manufacturing facilities to the nearest NAFDAC office or through its official reporting channels.
It also called for greater cooperation among manufacturers, distributors, retailers, consumers and law enforcement agencies to curb the production and distribution of fake and substandard products.
