The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has dismantled a sprawling network of covert warehouses in Lagos State used to stockpile counterfeit and banned medicines, intercepting more than 10 million doses of fake drugs in what officials described as one of the most extensive seizures in recent years.
The agency said the operation uncovered large volumes of falsified and outlawed pharmaceutical products, including critical emergency medicines, posing a severe threat to public health and safety.
Addressing journalists in Lagos, NAFDAC’s Director of Investigation and Enforcement and Chairman of the Federal Task Force on Fake and Substandard Products, Mr Martins Iluyomade, said the raid was prompted by intelligence gathered during a training session held on February 3, which revealed suspicious activities around the Trade Fair–Navy axis of the state.
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Acting on the tip-off, enforcement officers moved into the area and discovered several warehouse structures deliberately designed to resemble residential buildings but used exclusively for storing illicit drugs.
“The area is largely deserted and not somewhere people normally go, which explains how these warehouses operated undetected for so long,” Iluyomade said.
A search of the facilities revealed massive stockpiles of counterfeit injectable anti-malarials, antibiotics, sachet drugs and blister packs, alongside banned substances such as Analgin, which has been prohibited in Nigeria for over 15 years.
Iluyomade described the discovery as alarming, noting that many of the seized items were life-saving medicines used in emergency situations.
“These were not just fake vitamins. These were injections used in cases like cerebral malaria. When fake injections are administered in such situations, it becomes a death sentence,” he said.
He added that the counterfeit products were highly sophisticated and difficult to distinguish from genuine medicines, even for manufacturers.
“Sometimes even product owners struggle to tell the difference. That is how advanced these criminals have become,” he stated.
NAFDAC estimated the value of the seized products at over ₦3 billion, adding that the items were evacuated in eight trailers filled with assorted fake medicines and cosmetics.
“This is a major breakthrough for Nigeria and Nigerians. These products will not enter circulation,” Iluyomade said.
Preliminary investigations, according to him, indicate that the operation was linked to an international criminal network involved in cloning genuine pharmaceutical products abroad and reintroducing them into Nigeria’s supply chain.
Warning that the country’s healthcare system remains under serious threat, Iluyomade said criminal syndicates were prioritising profit over human lives and damaging the integrity of reputable pharmaceutical brands.
He also disclosed that several drug manufacturers had raised concerns about counterfeit versions of their products circulating in the market for months, noting that traffickers often distribute supplies in small quantities to evade detection.
Iluyomade urged Nigerians to remain vigilant, warning that unusually cheap medicines could be deadly.
“If a drug is too cheap, it is not a bargain. It could cost you your life,” he cautioned.
