The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has busted what officials are calling “one of the worst counterfeit medicine operations in recent years,” recovering over 10 million doses of fake and banned drugs from secret warehouses in Lagos State.
The seized products, valued at over N3 billion, were hidden in warehouse structures disguised as residential buildings in the deserted Trade Fair–Navy area of Lagos.
Speaking to journalists in Lagos on Monday, NAFDAC’s Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Mr. Martins Iluyomade, said the operation followed intelligence gathered during a training meeting on February 3 regarding suspicious activities in the area.
“Our team visited the location and discovered multiple warehouse structures built to look like residential houses but used exclusively for storage,” said Iluyomade, who also chairs the Federal Task Force on Fake and Substandard Products. “The area is deserted and not frequented by people, which likely allowed these criminals to operate undetected.”
Life-Threatening Counterfeits
Inside the facilities, NAFDAC officials discovered large quantities of counterfeit medications, including injectable anti-malarials, antibiotics, sachet drugs, blister packs, and banned substances such as Analgin, which has been prohibited in Nigeria for over 15 years.
“What we found should alarm every Nigerian,” Iluyomade stated. “These weren’t just fake vitamins—these were life-saving medicines, including injections used in emergency cases like cerebral malaria. When fake injections are administered in such critical situations, they become a death sentence.”
The NAFDAC official emphasized the sophisticated nature of the counterfeiting operation, noting that even manufacturers sometimes struggle to distinguish fake products from genuine ones.
International Syndicate Behind Operation
Eight trailers were loaded with the confiscated medicines and cosmetics evacuated from the site. Iluyomade described the operation as the work of an international crime syndicate.
“They clone original products by taking samples of genuine medicines, reproducing them abroad to near perfection, and pushing them back into our distribution chain,” he explained. “This is organized crime with collaborators both inside and outside Nigeria.”
The NAFDAC director warned that Nigeria’s health system is under siege from counterfeiters motivated purely by profit, regardless of the human cost.
“The country is facing an attack from people willing to make money at all costs—even if it means killing fellow citizens and destroying the reputations of legitimate brands,” Iluyomade said.
He revealed that some pharmaceutical manufacturers had reported fake versions of their products circulating in the market for over six months, though criminals typically distribute in small quantities to evade detection.
Warning to Consumers
NAFDAC issued a stern warning to consumers about suspiciously cheap medications.
“If a drug is unusually cheap, don’t think you’ve found a bargain—it could cost you your life,” Iluyomade cautioned.
The agency assured Nigerians that the confiscated products would not enter circulation, calling the operation “a major breakthrough for Nigeria and Nigerians.”
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