The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has confiscated over 10 million doses of counterfeit malaria drugs and cosmetics valued at N3 billion at the Trade Fair Market in Lagos.
Dr. Martins Iluyomade, NAFDAC Director of Investigation and Enforcement, disclosed the seizure on Monday at the agency’s Apapa office, noting that the operation followed credible intelligence received on February 3, 2026.
The confiscated items included anti-malaria drugs, injections for cerebral malaria, antibiotics, Postinor, and Anagin products—some of which had been banned in Nigeria for nearly 15 years. Eight truckloads of counterfeit goods were removed from a three-storey building masquerading as a warehouse for spare parts.
Four individuals were arrested in connection with the operation, which Dr. Iluyomade described as one of NAFDAC’s major breakthroughs in recent times.
“What we saw in the warehouse is alarming. These medicines were packed in huge numbers, including life-saving drugs and banned products. The fake drugs were so well-cloned that even authorized manufacturers could struggle to distinguish them from genuine ones,” he said.
Dr. Iluyomade warned that the seized drugs, if released into the market, could have endangered the lives of up to three million Nigerians. He praised NAFDAC under Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye for its ongoing efforts to eliminate counterfeit and harmful products from the country, emphasizing the agency’s zero tolerance policy toward fake drugs.
“With the support of God and Nigerians, we will dismantle these organized syndicates that are harming citizens with counterfeit products,” he added.
