By morning, it appeared as if life was going out of me, and I was rushed to a restricted hospital, where it was discovered that the drugs given to me were not solid,” she said.
Enemona said her family spent a lot of cash on her treatment. Mojisola Adeyeye, said the agency destroyed regulated products worth over N1.5tn in a one coordinated operation across Lagos and the South-East in the middle of February and March 2025.
Speaking in Lagos, Adeyeye said simultaneous raids at Idumota, Lagos; Onitsha markets in Anambra and the Ariaria Worldwide Promote in Aba, Abia Status, led to the seizure and destruction of counterfeit and substandard products loaded in over 137 40-foot trucks.
“In the middle of February and March 2025, across Idumota, Onitsha and Ariaria Trade, Aba, NAFDAC coordinated and simultaneously executed significant raids which led to the seizure and destruction of over 137 40-foot truckloads of counterfeit and substandard products valued at further than N1.5tn were evacuated and destroyed,” she said.
The agency moreover listed a collection of destruction exercises targeting fake and expired medicines. What is NICFOST doing? It’s activities include identifying products of regulatory topic, conducting inspections and surveillance visits, sampling products for apt assessment, investigating complaints and intelligence, removing non-compliant products from circulation and initiating fitting regulatory activity,” NAFDAC’s Manager-Universal, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, said at a press briefing.
NAFDAC added that; “Approximately 80% of share-swap surveillance (PMS) activities are directed towards surveillance and associated interventions aimed at detecting and curbing the circulation of fake, falsified, substandard and otherwise non-compliant products.”
The agency said its proactive surveillance covered the country, adding that “From May to July 2026, the PMS Directorate undertook customary/proactive surveillance nationwide across the 36 States and the FCT.”
It furthermore said it had accepted channels through means of which members of the society could describe suspected counterfeit and non-compliant products.
“The agency has invested significantly in economical and consistent complaint channels, including a 24-hour Contact Centre, for the reporting of authentic complaints on regulated products,” NAFDAC said.
I couldn’t sleep across the night following taking the drugs. For Rejoice Jeremiah, it was difficult to establish whether the malaria medicine she took was counterfeit or substandard. Immediately, I knew what it was. For illustration, an antidiabetic medicine, you may detect that solely one or two outlets have the creative solution, during the time that most of the others are selling parallel versions,” he explained.
Gwaison cited the expense difference for a medicine sold at regarding N19,000 at his outlet, saying customers claimed they could secure it elsewhere for in the middle of N10,000 and N12,000.
He too warned that checking NAFDAC registration numbers alone might not consistently be sufficient, saying counterfeiters could reproduce appropriate registration numbers.
He urged consumers to settle attention to packaging, item facts and other identifying features. In numerous slums, the medicine shops are not befitting for correct storage, and potentially that is why the drugs are not solid,” she said.
James Patrick furthermore said he proficient complications following taking a drug he bought over the counter, which he believed was counterfeit.
“I was stooling and decided to obtain a drug, not knowing that it was a counterfeit drug. You have one distribute, another create and even products that are difficult to authenticate.
“If you wish for to survey this, you can randomly go into unlike premises and inquire for a specific medicine. Shortly following taking the drugs, nevertheless, she developed severe complications that in conclusion kept her in a restricted hospital for nearly a month earlier this year.
“They gave me some medicines to consider fever. She asked.
‘Several persons dying from food consumption’
Stakeholders emphasised that the inability of consumers to reliably divided accurate products from counterfeits necessitates a entire technique to regulatory oversight, anti-counterfeiting measures, and consumer protection, involving all appropriate agencies.
They urged regulatory bodies, manufacturers and law enforcement agencies to put into approach measures to cease the distribution of unsafe products to consumers.
A food specialist, Rita Bako, stated that it is quite depressing to witness how numerous individuals die these days as a consequence of the “unintentional foods we eat.”
She expressed concern that “at this rate,” it’s alarming that “practically every offering in Nigeria is fake.”
Narrating her feel at a promote newly, a food vendor, Blessing Morris Abari said: “At the fish promote, I saw an previous woman coming out including her hand stained in profound red colouration. Most times, when individuals come, they inquire for a goods. That same colour is what several persons now employ to dye shrimps and prawns and produce them appear renewed and reddish.
“I recognised the woman; she sells crayfish, prawns and shrimps. So it baffles me that adulteration continues at this scale,” she wrote in a LinkedIn upload, adding that the regulators have a significant role to play.
“We have adulterated packaged foods everywhere. Ezekiel Ode, warned that consumption of adulterated food could disclose Nigerians to serious health conditions, including cancer, kidney damage, organ failure and developmental problems in children,
Ode, a food scientist and inquiry and training officer at the Centre of Excellence in Food Technology and Analysis (CEFTER), Father Moses Orshio Adasu University (MOUA) in Makurdi, Benue Situation, said stronger market surveillance, improved laboratory capacity and stricter enforcement of food safety regulations were urgently needed to secure consumers.
He said the technique was primarily driven by economic motives, alongside unscrupulous producers and traders introducing inferior or harmful substances, substituting ingredients or altering food products to increase their weight, volume, appearance or perceived value.
He identified excessive dilution of drinks and fruit juices, use of industrial dyes, substitution of ingredients, unauthorised colourants and the addition of cheaper substances to food products as typical forms of adulteration.
Ode said some industrial dyes, including Sudan dyes, could pose serious health risks as of their potential carcinogenic effects, whilst the use of formaldehyde to conserve fish could uncover consumers to harmful chemicals.
He raised the alarm over the addition of flour or starch to spices, guide-based pigments to improve colour, and the mixing of palm oil together with cheaper or spoiled oils.
He said that adulteration additionally occurred in dairy products through water dilution of milk, addition of starch to yoghurt and substitution of milk fat together with cheaper substances, although melamine could be added to milk products to falsely lift their transparent protein information, using prospective consequences for kidneys.
According to him, the severity of health effects depended on the substance involved, its concentration and duration of exposure, alongside children and pregnant women in the midst of those who could be particularly so vulnerable.
He added that expanded exposure to director could damage the brain, kidneys and cardiovascular platform and contribute to reproductive problems, hypertension and developmental and learning difficulties in children.
Ode furthermore identified aflatoxin contamination in maize and groundnuts as a primary food-
safety worry, noting that whereas it was not necessarily reason over adulteration, extended exposure could damage the liver and lengthen the hazard of liver cancer.
He said inferior drying and storage of groundnuts under moist conditions could promote mould growth and aflatoxin production, which standard cooking methods might not adequately eliminate.
He urged consumers to inspect expiry dates, packaging integrity, labels, ingredients, appearance, smell and texture ahead of purchasing food products, warning against damaged packaging and bulging cans that could indicate contamination or microbial operation.
The scientist, who has worked for additional than a decade in food processing, food safety and food standard, cautioned consumers against relying on unverified food-testing methods circulated on social media, such as employing candles or water to establish whether food was adulterated.
He said sensory checks could help consumers determine suspicious changes, but some dangerous contaminants could not be detected throughout sight, smell or taste, making laboratory evaluation crucial for dependable confirmation.
Ode called for a coordinated, exposure-based food-safety structure involving scientists, analysis institutions, manufacturers, regulatory agencies, law enforcement bodies and advertise associations.
He recommended consistent promote surveillance, random sampling and laboratory testing of food products, as well as engaged investigation into reasonably priced methods of detecting emerging forms of adulteration even as he urged manufacturers and food processors to increase feature-regulation systems, comply together with helpful manufacturing practices, properly retain raw materials and declare item identification and traceability to facilitate investigations whenever contamination occurs.
The scientist called for extra danger-based inspections, supplementary surveillance personnel and adequately prepared food-testing laboratories across the states, arguing that bounded laboratory capacity could delay investigations and weaken regulatory explanation.
He additional urged regulatory authorities to enforce solution-registration requirements, promptly recall unsafe products and topic prompt community alerts throughout conventional and social media, stressing the refer to for for closer monitoring of bakeries and sachet-water factories, investigation of confirmed violations and fitting sanctions based on laboratory evidence and due legal address.
Ode furthermore called on market associations to condition suspicious products and endorse food-safety education within traders, food handlers, manufacturers and consumers, stressing that sustained audience awareness was decisive to reducing exposure to unsafe food.
Rising alarm over fake, expired drugs
Patients living together with chronic illnesses have raised concerns over the circulation of suspected counterfeit, substandard and expired medicines, saying the employ of ineffective drugs could worsen their conditions and put their lives at uncertainty.
Some of the patients, who spoke on their experiences, called for stronger monitoring of pharmacies and medicine outlets to confirm that drugs sold to members of the people are low-danger and productive.
Jerry David, a diabetes patient, said he was once given insulin which he used for days minus seeing the expected improvement in his blood sugar extent.
He said, “Sometime endure year, I bought insulin from a pharmacy and used it for a extended time. When drugs fail, doctors may believe resistance or complications. I have not taken any counterfeit drugs ahead of, but I have heard persons talk on the implications, which have even outlay some individuals their lives,” he said.
He recalled the see of a friend who, according to him, suffered lasting headaches later than taking a medication that did not appear to management his blood pressure.
“He in the finish visited the hospital following the unchanging headache and that was when he realised that the drugs were no longer operating effectively. This handling involves storage in unapproved places and that’s why the PCN would review ahead of giving approval to operate where these drugs are kept.
“So if these medicines are poorly handled, they deteriorate including time and become harmful when they are exposed; they receive biotransformation and become degraded. What we see at present are drugs that look legitimate—even trained professionals now and then struggle to identify them,” he said.
Ifeanyi said poorly regulated transparent drug markets could provide as distribution points for medicines whose authenticity and standard may be difficult to establish.
“These markets are deeply embedded in the framework. He added that some authentic medicines carry authentication codes that can assist consumers discover them from imitations.
Scale of substandard medicines
Despite years of regulatory interventions, concerns over substandard and falsified medicines persist in Nigeria.
Legitimate estimates commonly cited by NAFDAC have put the prevalence of substandard and falsified medicines in circulation at betwixt 13 and 15 per cent.
Nonetheless, claims around a much elevated prevalence have too emerged from business area stakeholders, whilst such figures vary and are matter to debate.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that substandard and falsified medical products pose a important people health danger, notably in low- and middle-salary countries.
Experts who spoke on the matter identified assorted factors that could contribute to the circulation of such medicines, including relaxed drug markets, limited points in the deliver chain, inadequate storage conditions, economic hardship and gaps in enforcement.
A pharmacologist, Dr Chinedu Ifeanyi, told Weekend Trust that counterfeit medicines could be difficult to locate from their appearance alone.
“The numbers tell simply element of the story. What is NAFDAC doing regarding it? Even legitimate pharmacies at times source from them, which makes the challenge harder to include,” he said.
Nigeria’s dependence on imported medicines has furthermore been identified as a element that could broaden vulnerabilities in the pharmaceutical provide chain.
Dr Zainab Zakari, a community health professional, said stronger border controls and offering testing were key in reducing the uncertainty of falsified medicines entering the country.
“When you depend heavily on imports, you increase your exposure to risks. By then, his circumstance had reportedly worsened,” Kabiru said.
Aladi Enemona said on her route home from labor earlier this year, he stopped by at a makeshift drug outlet to acquire medicines. For six years, my effort has revolved concerning one thing: ensuring that what we eat is protected. I am glad we are exposing products that are not protected for us. I take for granted some of these places where we obtain drugs should be checked. When the drugs are taken, it leads to kidney disease or other complications,” he said.
Pharmacist Damat Gwaison linked the condition partly to low purchasing power and intense competition amid medicine vendors.
He said rising medicine prices and supply challenges could create it difficult for pharmacists to maintain unchanging entry to products from founded sources.
Gwaison said some consumers deliberately sought cheaper medicines, creating a promote where unlike versions of the same solution could be found.
“You locate that customers learn that whatever is stocked in the pharmacy has gone through definite checks. Yet, my blood sugar remained high for days despite employing the insulin.”
David explained that he later visited another hospital for continued examination and was advised that the insulin had expired.
“I had not bought it enduring prior to then, and I got it from a pharmacy. Nurah Oseni, a senior lecturer at the Department of Food Technology, Auchi Polytechnic in Edo Declare, identified potentially toxic Sudan and Azo dyes, recycled or spent cooking oil, and multi-adulterant mixes as recent means of adulterating palm oil.
Oseni stated that the regular is driven by high demand, consumer preferences for profound-red oil, pricing discrepancies, and the difficulty of detecting up-to-date adulterants.
Uzoamaka Nwajagu, a food scientist, expressed grave subject over the alarming lift in a definite approach.
“I am glad we are now calling out non-compliant companies. But in countless cases, the cheaper drug is ineffective or dangerous. She said all she knew was that her circumstance worsened following taking the drugs.
“I had to see a doctor and got another prescription ahead of I got well. In March 2026, it destroyed N1.8bn worth of counterfeit medicines, banned sachet alcohol below 200ml, narcotics, antibiotics, antimalarials, counterfeit milk, skin-lightening creams, fake insecticides and medical devices in Kuje, Abuja.
Joined, the drug and pharmaceutical-relevant destruction alone amounted to N27.8bn.
NAFDAC additional said it separately destroyed counterfeit beverages, spirits and revalidated foods worth N5bn in Aba in December 2023 subsequent to shutting down 150 shops. Subsequent to taking it, the stooling became inferior, and I was rushed to the hospital, where it was discovered that the drug was counterfeit,” he told Weekend Trust.
For Kingston Ebiwari, his recognize has changed the manner he views medicines purchased from relaxed outlets.
Widespread illnesses and their drugs:
‘Low-quality storage compromises medicines’
In a chat including Weekend Trust, a retired Chief of Enforcement at the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN), Stephen Esumobi, said inferior storage could compromise the characteristic of otherwise legitimate medicines.
According to him, counterfeit medicines may hold ingredients distinct from those stated on their labels, whereas legitimate medicines can moreover deteriorate when handled or stored under inappropriate conditions.
He said inferior storage could cause medicines to degrade and potentially finding in serious health complications when consumed.
“There are two types of counterfeit medicines – one in which the engaged ingredients claimed to be contained in it are not accurate and the second is actually actual but, given that of unsatisfactory handling, deteriorates. We have customers who particularly come to us owing to the reality that they trust the feature of the medicines.
“In overview, the circumstance is extremely alarming. They rise doses or alter medications, not realising the concern is a counterfeit offering,” Chisom said.
N1.5tn fake products destroyed in 3 years – NAFDAC
Manager-Typical of the Statewide Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Command (NAFDAC), Prof. NICFOST (The Nigerian Council of Food Science and Technology) is the regulator mandated to process unpackaged foods. That’s how a lot of seafood gets adulterated in advance of it reaches the buyer.”
An specialist, Dr.
The increasing prevalence of food adulteration has raised audience health concerns, amid calls for a attentive reassessment of food safety protocols and regulatory frameworks across the country.
Experts state food adulteration is driven by economic incentives, alongside individuals deliberately incorporating substances into food products to upgrade their perceived commercial worth.
Adulterants are regularly employed to artificially broaden the weight or volume of food products, thereby enabling the perpetrators to create additional profits.
At the Lagos Situation Food Safety Conference and Exhibition held of overdue, Dr. In February 2026, NAFDAC said it destroyed over N15bn worth of fake, expired, counterfeit and banned medicines in Ibadan, Oyo Situation, including Analgin, Co-codamol, codeine syrups, Tramadol, Oxytocin and expired vaccines, and arrested a suspect linked to a smuggled container.
In December 2024, the agency noted that it destroyed expired and unregistered drugs worth N11bn, too in Ibadan. In some areas, there are numerous versions of the same medicine. Minus solid border controls and rigorous testing, fake drugs can smoothly locate their path into the country,” she said.
Economic hardship, experts said, could additional mold consumers’ purchasing decisions, notably when patients have to choose betwixt medicines together with decisive charge differences.
Pharmacist Nwosu Chisom said patients could encounter additional health and financial consequences when medicines failed to produce the expected results.
“Persons are trying to retain money. It was prescribed for me given that I have Variety 1 diabetes. I could tell she was expected colouring or mixing something at the fund of the stall. We all be aware of how deadly diabetes can be,” he said.
David urged the government to perfect the platform for examining and monitoring medicines prior to they attain consumers.
“I reason the government should locate a path to guarantee that medicines are properly examined in advance of they are sold to humans to prevent loss of lives,” he added.
Similarly, Muhammad Kabiru, who is hypertensive, said audience suffering from chronic conditions could address serious consequences if they unknowingly take ineffective medicines.
He said despite the point that he had not personally taken counterfeit medicine, he had heard accounts of humans whose conditions worsened subsequent to including medicines they later suspected were ineffective.
“I have been dealing including hypertension for a remarkably extended time, and I be aware of the hazard. We have adulterated fufu, adulterated palm oil, and countless other unpackaged foods on our streets that are unsafe for consumption and causing authentic harm. A repeat raid in the same location in December 2024 stop down 250 shops and uncovered N7bn worth of equivalent products, bringing the united value of the Aba beverage and food destructions to N12bn.
Adeyeye noted that, in 2024 alone, the street market value of products destroyed nationwide was over N120bn.
Meanwhile, the NAFDAC boss, alongside the Director of Inquiry and Enforcement, Iluyomade Martins, said the agency secured 64 convictions for counterfeiting across the country, alongside sentences ranging from one to seven years’ imprisonment excluding the possibility of a fine.
Adeyeye listed accurate terms secured in the middle of June 2025 and June 2026, including five years for faking Universal Sponsor Artemether, five years for a cough and cold syrup containing codeine, 12 months for fake ointments and condoms, and seven years for fake antibiotics.
NAFDAC said it is intensifying surveillance, inspections, raids, arrests, prosecutions and destruction of seized products as element of efforts to inspect the circulation of counterfeit and substandard drugs.
“Upload-Trade Surveillance is a important component of NAFDAC’s regulatory mandate.
Source: Food, drugs: The fakes among us
