Health
Outcry as fake products flood markets
Our Reporters
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria have come under pressure over proliferation of counterfeit products as Nigerians take to social media to expose food, drugs, cosmetics and other consumer goods suspected to be fake, substandard and dangerous.
The online campaign also brought renewed scrutiny to the effectiveness of the country’s regulatory system, with Nigerians questioning how such products continue to make their way into markets despite the statutory responsibilities of NAFDAC and SON to regulate products and protect consumers.
While some of the social media claims have yet to be independently verified, the reports have increased fears among consumers and intensified calls for stronger surveillance and enforcement from the regulatory agencies.
Fake food, toothpaste, drink, drug
Findings by Saturday PUNCH showed that the online campaign took a different dimension following the recent deaths of some celebrities, including veteran Nollywood actor Taiwo Hassan, popularly known as Ogogo, from cancer.
Also, increasing reports of sudden deaths have drawn attention to possible links between the tragedies and consumption of counterfeit products.
In the last few months, Nigerians have taken to social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, and Instagram to share awareness videos highlighting counterfeit products in local markets.
The clips often feature side-by-side comparisons, market investigations, and practical tips for spotting fakes.
Ordinary citizens, doctors, content creators, and even regulatory voices have amplified the messages and turned personal discoveries into viral public service announcements.
One of the most prominent recent examples involves suspected fake Oral-B toothpaste.
In September, a Nigerian doctor, Somto Okonkwo, posted a detailed comparison video showing genuine and counterfeit Oral-B tubes side by side.
The clip, which highlighted differences in packaging quality, seals, texture, translucency, and taste, was widely shared by different accounts.
In the video, Okonkwo demonstrated how the fake versions often feature seals absent on originals, thicker and less translucent paste, and a less minty flavour, while warning viewers of the potential dangers.
The video gained significant traction when United Kingdom-based Nigerian physician, Dr Olufunmilayo Ogunsanya, amplified it.
Okonkwo recounted visiting five to seven shops where all stocked counterfeit Oral-B toothpaste, with many sellers unaware of the fakes.
He explained that genuine products typically use safe glycerine, while some counterfeits may substitute the toxic chemical diethylene glycol.
Around the same period, other toothpaste-related alerts circulated.
Fake food products have also featured heavily in recent awareness clips.
Videos circulating in early September showed counterfeit Hollandia yoghurt being packaged in unsanitary conditions.
Accounts such as @_InsideNigeria and @KosoNwa1 shared the disturbing footage, questioning NAFDAC’s response and urging consumers to remain vigilant about product safety.
Earlier comparisons by individuals, including couples who poured genuine and suspected fake yoghurt into clear cups to demonstrate differences in thickness, creaminess, and the presence of barcodes, further fuelled online discussions and warnings.
On September 4, Olufunmilayo posted about paracetamol tablets: photos of two tablets allegedly from the same company that differ clearly in colour when placed side by side.
He noted that consumers would only notice the discrepancy by direct comparison, warning that “one is fake, or both are fake” and that Nigerians rely on such products when ill.
He blamed NAFDAC for failing in its duties, stating the agency “has killed thousands of people by failing to do their job.”
Multiple X users reported personal experiences and broader lists of fakes: dyed palm oil, painted apples (green to red), fake soy sauce/olive oil, substandard or fake chicken/fish, fake water/soda, fake drinks/alcohols, and varying textures/tastes of Hollandia bought from different spots.
One user noted realising he had been using fake Oral-B after seeing related posts and listed dyed palm oil, painted apples, and fake Hollandia as part of a longer pattern.
Others tagged NAFDAC directly, urging action against alleged producers of fake drinks, alcohols, and medicines.
Additional recent commentary includes frustration over the volume of counterfeits (malt drinks, spaghetti in older raids), calls to buy only from trusted sources, and expressions that everyday staples now require extreme caution.
Some posts link the issue to health risks like kidney problems and general distrust of open-market goods.
An X user, Oluwole Olofintuyi, @OluOlofin1, alleged that the scale of counterfeit products suggested possible compromise within the regulatory system.
“Wherever you go: fake milk, fake yoghurt, fake bread, fake palm oil, fake/plastic rice, fake medicines, fake toothpaste, fake baby formulas, fake beverages, fake toothbrushes, fake bottled and sachet water, fake vehicle parts, fake tyres,” he wrote.
Olofintuyi alleged that some regulatory officials, distributors and importers could be complicit in the circulation of counterfeit products, adding that NAFDAC and SON had failed Nigerians.
Similarly, Chinedu Samuel, @Chimextech, questioned NAFDAC’s effectiveness, saying the proliferation of counterfeit products posed both economic and health risks.
“Where is NAFDAC in all of this? What they are concerned about is sachet alcohol, no focus. That’s the result of nepotistic appointments,” he wrote.
One Uche Samuel said the reports about fake toothpaste had heightened concerns about the safety of everyday consumer products.
Another user, Mac Araga, claimed that the regulatory agencies had become more focused on revenue generation than their core responsibilities.
“We blame only NAFDAC, what is SON doing? What about CPC? Let them collaborate, even with NDLEA and the police. They should declare a state of emergency on fake drugs,” Abou Opeyemi wrote.
Others called for stronger surveillance at ports, warehouses, markets and online platforms, as well as tougher prosecution of manufacturers, importers and distributors of counterfeit products.
NAFDAC’s seizures
Recent NAFDAC operations uncovered counterfeit antimalarial drugs, antibiotics, injections, contraceptives and other pharmaceutical products.
In February 2026, the agency reported seizing more than 10 million doses of fake malaria medicines, alongside other pharmaceutical products at the Lagos Trade Fair Market.
The agency also uncovered warehouses hidden inside an uncompleted building in Apapa, Lagos, crammed with banned, fake and unregistered medicines worth over N3bn.
Also found were cartons of prohibited injectable anti-malarial products, antibiotics, sachet drugs and blister packs, which sat alongside assorted perfumes, body oils and even cooking oils.
In 2025, NAFDAC revealed that 30 per cent of drugs in open markets were fake or substandard.
In March 2025, the agency seized and destroyed N1tn worth of confiscated drugs, including banned Analgin and high-dose Tramadol (225mg), after an operation across the notorious drug markets in Onitsha, Ogbo-Ogwu, and Aba, Ekumi/Tenant Road.
Counterfeits pose health risks – Doctors
The Director of Medical Services at the Medical Centre of the Federal College of Education, Akoka, Lagos, Dr Rotimi Adesanya, said counterfeit drugs, foods and drinks could contain contaminants capable of damaging vital organs, particularly the liver and kidneys.
He said, “Some of the health hazards, such as liver failure, kidney failure, heart problems and even infertility and low sperm count, that are endemic in our society now are as a result of the usage of counterfeit products because of the chemicals in them.”
He blamed the widespread circulation of counterfeit products on poverty, saying many Nigerians resort to cheaper alternatives because of economic hardship.
Adesanya said, “Most of them put ‘best before’ on the products, which is different from an expiry date. The expiry date means that once it is expired, it cannot fully perform the purpose for which it was produced. Whereas, best before means you get the best part of that product before the particular day.
“The reason for this is that some products disintegrate if they are left for some time. Some of them may lose moisture or the chemicals in them, depending on how they are stored.
“While expired drugs may not actually kill a person, they will not do the work they were intended to do because the potency of the drug will have reduced with time.”
He urged NAFDAC to intensify routine checks and surveillance of products, particularly those on shop shelves.
“As a result of counterfeiting that is happening in the public, including local products like palm oil, the chemicals used for them are destroying organs. Some of them cause renal failure, which is shutting down the kidneys. They can shut down the liver, and that’s why NAFDAC has to be on top of its game.
“NAFDAC should do routine checks and analyses of these products, which they normally do in their industry. They must go on surveillance from time to time. They must check all the products on the shelves randomly. They must continue to see if they have expired or are still effective.
“Also, counterfeiting usually happens with expensive products because they are not affordable to people. The public should look for products from different brands,” Adesanya said.
A former Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association, Lagos State, Dr Saheed Babajide, attributed the proliferation of counterfeit drugs to poor enforcement by government agencies.
He said, “It is unfortunate that governments have allowed this issue to go on for a very long time. You will recall that NAFDAC recently went to Idumota in Lagos and Aba in Abia State to close some shops. Despite that, it still continues because there is no regulatory body whatsoever and the law enforcement agencies are not doing what they are supposed to do.”
Babajide said the use of substandard and fake medicines could cause serious health problems, including renal damage, kidney and heart complications, as well as mental health challenges.
He noted that it could also add to the burden on the country’s frail healthcare facilities, as patients may fail to respond to treatment when the medicines they have taken are ineffective or contain insufficient active ingredients.
“The use of ineffective or partially effective antimalarial drugs, for instance, can prolong illness and increase the likelihood of hospital admission. This ultimately places an additional financial burden on patients, who may end up spending more on treatment than they would have if they had initially obtained effective medicines. The problem is largely driven by greed and the quest for financial gain by unscrupulous individuals,” Babajide added.
The medical practitioner called on the legislative arm of government to make laws to punish anyone found culpable of circulating fake drugs.
“What the government should do is to ensure the relevant government agencies and regulatory bodies like NAFDAC and SON carry out their duties. There should be no bail and fine because anybody can be a victim of these counterfeit drugs. This should be treated as a matter of urgency,” he added.
‘Overhaul NAFDAC, SON’
A Lagos-based commentator, Segun Odunewu, while speaking with Saturday PUNCH, called for an overhaul of NAFDAC, alleging that the agency had failed to effectively protect Nigerians from dangerous counterfeit products flooding the market.
He said the worsening proliferation of the products showed that the country could no longer afford weak enforcement of regulations.
“We have not had it this bad until inefficiency crept into NAFDAC. The agency needs a complete overhaul for effectiveness. If not, we will all die of cancer and kidney disease.
“NAFDAC is not the NAFDAC of Dora Akunyili’s era. Her efforts are being wasted,” Odunewu said.
He also called for greater accountability from the agency’s leadership, arguing that NAFDAC must return to its core responsibility of protecting public health.
“The NAFDAC Director-General should resign. NAFDAC is now becoming a money-generating agency while neglecting its primary responsibility,” Odunewu alleged.
A public affairs analyst, Adebayo Abubakar, however, said scrapping NAFDAC or SON would not solve the problem.
According to him, the two agencies were created precisely to protect consumers and enforce standards, and the priority should be to strengthen their capacity and hold them accountable.
“We have NAFDAC to protect us from fake and dangerous food, drugs and other regulated products, and SON to enforce standards and protect consumers from substandard and counterfeit goods.
“These are not ornamental agencies; the law gives them precisely the powers required to police the marketplace,” Abubakar said.
He, however, expressed concern over the continued presence of counterfeit products in markets across the country.
“Walk through Nigerian markets and the uncomfortable truth stares you in the face: counterfeit medicines, adulterated foods, fake electrical products, substandard building materials and imitation consumer goods are everywhere.
“NAFDAC itself has identified counterfeit and falsified products as a continuing problem, while the National Assembly has had to call on NAFDAC and SON to intensify surveillance and enforcement,” Abubakar said.
He noted that the situation raised fundamental questions about the effectiveness of the regulatory system.
Another public affairs analyst, Musa Aliyu, called for a review of the National Policy on the Contamination of Drugs and Unwholesome Practices of Pharmaceuticals, arguing that the policy was overdue for review.
He said the problem of counterfeit and contaminated products extended beyond medicines and required stronger collaboration among government agencies and communities.
“The National Policy on the Contamination of Drugs and Unwholesome Practices of Pharmaceuticals is quite overdue for review because the issue extends beyond that.
“What we need is partnership in ensuring that communities are aware of the effects of contamination of drugs and unwholesome practices, and that people take the issue of drugs seriously because it is a very big challenge in Nigeria,” Aliyu said.
According to him, the problem begins at the grassroots, making community-level enforcement and awareness essential.
He called for the decentralisation of NAFDAC’s operations to improve monitoring and enforcement across the country.
Lawyers demand tougher sanctions
A Lagos-based dispute resolution lawyer, Muhammed Adam, told Saturday PUNCH that the Federal Government should declare a state of emergency on fake and substandard products in the country.
He said the proliferation of counterfeit goods had gone beyond ordinary market offences, describing it as organised economic and public-health sabotage that required the same urgency applied to other serious national security threats.
“A group of greedy, organised criminals cannot keep poisoning this country while they smile to the bank. What is happening in our markets is not petty trading. It is organised economic and public-health sabotage.
“It should be treated with the seriousness we reserve for terrorism because the outcome is the same: Nigerians are being killed slowly, quietly and profitably,” Adam said.
Adam said the trend was particularly disturbing because the most commonly counterfeited products were those Nigerians relied on for their health and daily wellbeing.
“That means the things we put on our skin, put in our children’s mouths and swallow when we are sick are among the products being most heavily faked,” he said.
The lawyer also cited seizures by the Nigeria Customs Service involving expired medicines and products bearing allegedly fake NAFDAC labels, including a seizure in the Apapa area reportedly valued at N53.4bn.
He further referred to the interception of fake anti-malaria drugs worth N1.2bn, which were allegedly concealed under a declaration of “spare parts”, saying counterfeiters were increasingly exploiting online transactions and groupage cargo to evade detection.
According to him, the scale of the problem meant that the fight against counterfeit products could no longer be treated as an issue restricted to market enforcement.
“People die from malaria that the ‘treatment’ never treated, from antibiotics that never fought infection, from cosmetics loaded with mercury and steroids, and from electrical and auto parts that fail when lives depend on them,” he said.
Adam said the consequences extended beyond individual deaths and injuries to public confidence in the Nigerian market.
“When citizens cannot trust medicine, food or water, the social contract itself is damaged,” he said.
The lawyer argued that the seizure of counterfeit goods would have limited impact if those behind the products were not consistently prosecuted and convicted.
Another lawyer, Ibrahim Adebayo, accused regulatory agencies, particularly NAFDAC, of failing to sustain the aggressive campaign against counterfeit products that characterised some previous administrations.
Adebayo recalled a period when NAFDAC embarked on what he described as a “total war” against counterfeiters, with warehouses raided, fake products seized and suspects arrested and prosecuted.
He alleged that the agency had become less effective in recent years.
“What we have now is an alleged collusion between some NAFDAC officials and these criminals. They only issue directives, bark sometimes, and nothing is done afterwards,” Adebayo alleged.
He said the Federal Government needed to demand greater accountability from regulatory agencies, particularly given the public resources allocated to them.
“This is an agency that receives billions of naira yearly through the Federal budget. Nigerians deserve to see the impact of that funding in terms of enforcement, prosecution and the protection of public health,” he said.
Adebayo called for stronger coordination among NAFDAC, SON, the Nigeria Customs Service, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission and security agencies.
The lawyer urged the Federal Government to strengthen surveillance of ports, warehouses, markets and online marketplaces while ensuring that offenders face prosecution.
He also called for stronger intelligence-sharing among regulatory and security agencies, arguing that counterfeiters were increasingly exploiting gaps between institutions to move their products through the country.
Adebayo said enforcement should also extend to the digital space, where counterfeit products can be advertised and sold to unsuspecting consumers without the physical presence of the seller.
NAFDAC mute, SON passes buck
When contacted, NAFDAC’s Head of Enforcement, Dr Martin Iluyomade, declined to comment.
Calls placed to his mobile phones were neither answered nor returned, while WhatsApp messages sent to him seeking his response were not acknowledged as of press time.
Efforts to obtain the reaction of SON proved abortive, as a highly placed source in the agency, who spoke on condition of anonymity, directed Saturday PUNCH to NAFDAC, adding that the regulation and circulation of fake, substandard and falsified medicines fell within the latter’s purview.
The source said, “Please note that matters relating to the regulation and circulation of fake, substandard and falsified medicines fall under the purview of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control. We would therefore advise that you direct your inquiry to NAFDAC for the appropriate response.
“For further communication or inquiries relating to the mandate and activities of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, kindly address your correspondence to the Director-General/Chief Executive in writing.”
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