NAFDAC says it pulled 7,210 regulated items from the market after inspecting 6,233 facilities across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory between May and July 2026, presenting those removals as proof that enforcement is active amid rising public alarm about counterfeit foods and consumer goods. The agency urged Nigerians to channel complaints through its formal systems so allegations can be tested scientifically, warning that social media posts alone cannot confirm a product is counterfeit or unsafe.
In a breakdown of the three-month operation, NAFDAC reported that food and water accounted for the largest share of removals at 3,633 products. Drugs and herbals made up 2,459 of the items taken out of circulation, while cosmetics totalled 911. Medical devices numbered 183, chemicals 21 and vaccines and biologics three. The agency also said it visited more facilities linked to drugs and herbals, 2,084 sites, than any other category, with 1,808 food and water premises inspected.
NAFDAC described the inspections as part of routine and proactive post-market surveillance, saying roughly 80 percent of such activity targets fake, falsified, substandard or otherwise non-compliant products. The agency listed the tools it uses as inspections, sampling, laboratory assessments, complaint investigations, intelligence gathering, removals and enforcement actions.
At the same time, NAFDAC pushed back on the idea that every unsafe product in markets falls squarely under its remit. It noted that fresh agricultural produce such as apples, grapes and oranges come under the quarantine control of the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service, and that unbranded palm oil, fufu and similar traditionally packaged staples sold in open markets are not directly and absolutely regulated by the agency. NAFDAC said food-safety governance requires coordinated work across the entire farm-to-fork chain and that sub-national authorities have monitoring duties under the National Policy on Food Safety and Quality.
To illustrate enforcement activity, the agency pointed to previous large-scale operations. It said that in February and March 2025 more than 137 40-foot truckloads of counterfeit and substandard goods, valued at over ₦1.5 trillion, were removed and destroyed in major markets including Idumota in Lagos, Onitsha and Ariaria Market in Aba. In February 2026 it cited destruction of more than ₦15 billion of fake and expired medicines in Ibadan, and the seizure of over 10 million doses of counterfeit malaria drugs and cosmetics valued at about ₦3 billion at a Lagos Trade Fair Market raid. NAFDAC also reported securing 64 convictions for counterfeiting, with prison terms of one to seven years without option of fine.
The agency said its latest checks exposed operators allegedly refilling 19-litre CWAY-branded water bottles from unapproved sources and selling them to hotels and supermarkets, and that those operators had been sanctioned. NAFDAC closed by urging consumers and reporters to use its complaint channels so claims can be investigated and verified, and warned that viral posts without laboratory confirmation are insufficient grounds for declaring products unsafe.
