The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has made a major interception in its fight against counterfeit medicines, seizing fake malaria drugs valued at more than N1.2 billion in Lagos State.
In a statement released Friday via its official X account, the agency confirmed that its enforcement officers stormed a warehouse in the Ilasa-Oshodi area, where they discovered 277 cartons of unregistered Malamal Forte, a falsified malaria drug brand. The illicit products had been discreetly smuggled into Nigeria and hidden under deceptive packaging to escape detection.
According to NAFDAC, the counterfeit medicines were tucked away in cartons falsely labelled as Diclofenac Potassium 50mg tablets. Investigations revealed that the shipment originated from Shanxi Tianyuan Pharmaceuticals Group in China and was fraudulently declared as spare parts in shipping documents—a deliberate attempt to mislead port officials and circumvent regulatory checks.
NAFDAC’s Director-General, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, described the seizure as a significant victory in the relentless battle against counterfeit and substandard pharmaceuticals. She warned that the distribution of fake malaria medication poses grave dangers to public health, as patients who unknowingly consume them risk treatment failure, complications, the spread of drug-resistant strains, and in worst cases, avoidable deaths.
Professor Adeyeye reaffirmed the agency’s determination to safeguard Nigerians from harmful medicines, noting that the Lagos raid forms part of a wider nationwide campaign to detect, intercept, and eliminate fake and substandard drugs.
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“The agency will keep strengthening surveillance and enforcement operations to guarantee that Nigerians have access only to safe, effective, and quality medicines. Protecting the lives of millions of citizens who depend on these treatments remains our foremost responsibility,” she stated.
Over the years, NAFDAC has executed several high-profile seizures of falsified medicines across different regions of the country, dismantling networks that exploit weaknesses in Nigeria’s import systems. Experts have long cautioned that counterfeit pharmaceuticals are one of the biggest threats to public health across Africa, undermining effective treatment and hampering the fight against deadly diseases such as malaria.
Health advocates have praised the latest operation, stressing that fake medicines not only endanger lives but also diminish public trust in healthcare systems. They called for deeper collaboration between NAFDAC, customs authorities, international partners, and security agencies to reinforce border protection and strengthen oversight of imported pharmaceuticals.
NAFDAC has also urged citizens to remain alert and promptly report any suspicious medicines to its nearest office. The agency assured the public that it is intensifying efforts to cleanse the Nigerian market of harmful products that compromise health and wellbeing.
