A large-scale network of clandestine warehouses storing counterfeit and banned medicines has been dismantled in Lagos State following a major enforcement operation by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
Officials confirmed that over 10 million doses of fake drugs, including critical emergency medicines, were seized during the raid, described as “one of the worst counterfeit medicine operations in recent years.”
Speaking to reporters, NAFDAC’s Director of Investigation and Enforcement and Chairman of the Federal Task Force on Fake and Substandard Products, Mr. Martins Iluyomade, said the operation was prompted by intelligence gathered during a training session on February 3, which highlighted suspicious activity around the Trade Fair–Navy axis.
“Acting on that information, our team discovered multiple warehouse structures disguised as residential houses. The area is normally deserted, which likely allowed them to operate undetected,” Iluyomade said.
The raid uncovered counterfeit medicines including injectable anti-malarials, antibiotics, sachet drugs, blister packs, and banned substances such as Analgin, outlawed in Nigeria for over 15 years. Iluyomade warned that these fake life-saving drugs, if used, could be fatal, particularly in emergencies like cerebral malaria.
The seized items, valued at over ₦3 billion, were evacuated in eight trailers, including assorted fake medicines and cosmetics. Investigations indicate the operation was run by an international criminal network that clones genuine products abroad to near perfection before reintroducing them into the Nigerian market.
“These criminals operate with collaborators both inside and outside Nigeria, putting our healthcare system at serious risk. They prioritize profit over human lives,” Iluyomade said, adding that some pharmaceutical companies had reported counterfeit versions of their products circulating for months.
He warned the public: “If a drug is unusually cheap, don’t think you’ve found a bargain. It could cost you your life.”
