The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has announced the destruction of counterfeit and expired products valued at over ₦1.8 billion at the Kuje dumpsite in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
According to NAFDAC, the destruction exercise involved the incineration of counterfeit medicines, banned sachet alcohol, expired pharmaceuticals, fake chemicals, and other unsafe products seized across Abuja and surrounding areas, including items voluntarily submitted by companies, NGOs, and the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN).
Speaking during the exercise, the Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, represented by the Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Dr. Martins Iluyomade, warned that counterfeit drug syndicates now deploy sophisticated cloning techniques to imitate genuine products, making it increasingly difficult for consumers to identify fake items.
Iluyomade disclosed that the Agency recently intercepted several containers of suspicious products falsely declared to evade detection at the ports, stressing the need for stronger inter-agency collaboration and public vigilance.
The regulatory body emphasised that the destruction exercise demonstrates the Agency’s commitment to ensuring that seized products do not re-enter circulation.
It also reaffirmed its commitment to enforcing the ban on alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets and PET bottles below 200ml, warning that enforcement actions and prosecution would extend to traders found in possession of such products.
NAFDAC further urged Nigerians to avoid patronising suspiciously cheap medicines and other regulated products and to report suspicious activities to its nearest office or call centre.
