NAFDAC destroys fake, substandard products worth N2.6bn in Rivers

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has reportedly destroyed seized counterfeit and substandard products worth N2.6 billion in Rivers State as part of efforts to rid the country of contaminated food products.

The chairman of the Federal Task Force on Counterfeit, Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods in Nigeria, Dr Martins Iluyomade, disclosed this on behalf of NAFDAC’s Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, at the destruction site in Port Harcourt on Friday.

He said the products, which included medicines, tomatoes, cookies and chemicals, were intercepted and seized by the Nigeria Customs Service at Onne Port between 2025 and 2026.

Iluyomade, who is also NAFDAC’s Director of Investigation and Enforcement, said the exercise demonstrated the agency’s commitment to eliminating counterfeit and fake drugs from the country.

He commended the cooperation between NAFDAC and the Nigeria Customs Service, which he said had made the exercise possible. He added that the process leading to the destruction of the seized goods began in 2025 and that the two agencies had signed several memoranda of understanding to facilitate the exercise.

“This gesture corroborates the existing good relationship we have between NAFDAC and Nigeria Customs Service. We have an MoU signed, but we have people who have to work behind the scenes to make sure that the MoU works,” he said.

He said the products being destroyed included expired tomatoes, cookies, medicines and chemicals, with their combined value estimated at N2.6 billion.

Iluyomade described the exercise as the first phase of the destruction, adding that more seized goods would be destroyed in the coming days.