The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has intensified its nationwide crackdown on counterfeit and substandard products with the destruction of fake and unwholesome drugs valued at over N939 million in Awka, Anambra State.
The large-scale disposal exercise, which took place on Friday at the Anambra State Waste Management dumpsite, was conducted under strict regulatory supervision as part of the agency’s ongoing efforts to safeguard public health. The operation was first reported by the News Agency of Nigeria.
According to NAFDAC, the destroyed products were confiscated during a series of surveillance and enforcement operations carried out across the South-East region. The agency disclosed that the items—ranging from expired and falsified medicines to unregistered pharmaceutical products, food items, cosmetics, and medical equipment—posed grave health risks to unsuspecting consumers.
Officials warned that the circulation of such products could lead to treatment failure, prolonged illness, and, in severe cases, death. They also highlighted the dangers of unwholesome food and compromised medical devices, noting that these could trigger food-borne diseases, misdiagnosis, and ineffective treatment.
Speaking through a regional director, the Director-General of NAFDAC, Mojisola Adeyeye, described the exercise as part of a broader national strategy aimed at eliminating harmful products from the Nigerian market.
“Today, we are destroying products with a total estimated street value of N939,077,209,” the representative, Mr. Martins Iluyomade, stated. “These products have been seized through NAFDAC’s routine surveillance, enforcement operations, and intelligence-led interventions across the South-East.”
Adeyeye reiterated the agency’s zero-tolerance stance against individuals and groups involved in the production and distribution of counterfeit goods, stressing that such enforcement actions are regularly conducted across all six geopolitical zones.
She emphasized that the objective remains clear: to protect the health and lives of Nigerians by ensuring that only safe, effective, and quality-regulated products are available in the market.
NAFDAC further revealed that some of the seized items were voluntarily handed over by stakeholders, including members of the National Association of Patent and Proprietary Medicine Dealers in Anambra and Enugu States—an indication of growing collaboration between the agency and industry players.
Reaffirming its commitment to consumer protection, the agency urged Nigerians to remain vigilant by purchasing only products with valid NAFDAC registration numbers and promptly reporting any suspicious goods or activities to the appropriate authorities.
The latest operation underscores NAFDAC’s sustained resolve to rid the country of dangerous products and reinforce confidence in Nigeria’s healthcare and consumer safety systems.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) is intensifying its crackdown on fake and unsafe products, destroying over N939 million worth of harmful goods in the South-East and warning that it will continue to take strict action to protect public health.
