THE National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has removed 7,210 non-compliant products from circulation after inspecting 6,233 facilities across Nigeria in three months.
The agency disclosed this in a statement on Monday, September 7, amid renewed public concerns over the circulation of allegedly adulterated and unsafe food products in the country.
NAFDAC said its Post-Market Surveillance Directorate conducted inspections across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory between May and July 2026.
According to the agency, about 80 per cent of the surveillance activities during the period focused on detecting fake, falsified, substandard and other non-compliant products.
The figures mean the agency removed about 2,400 products from circulation every month during the three-month period.
Food products top list
According to the statement, food and water products accounted for the highest number of items removed from circulation, with 3,633 products affected.
Drugs and herbal products followed with 2,459, while 911 cosmetics, 183 medical devices, 21 chemicals and three vaccines and biological products were also removed.
NAFDAC said its post-market surveillance activities involved intelligence gathering, laboratory analysis, enforcement operations and engagement with stakeholders.
The latest figures come amid persistent concerns about the safety of food, medicines and other regulated products sold across Nigerian markets.
NAFDAC destroys ₦1.5tn counterfeit products
The agency also highlighted previous enforcement operations to illustrate the scale of counterfeiting in the country.
It noted that between February and March 2025, its coordinated raids in Idumota, Lagos, Onitsha and Aba led to the seizure and destruction of more than 137 40-foot truckloads of counterfeit and substandard products valued at over ₦1.5 trillion .
The agency said it also destroyed seized products worth over ₦120 billion nationwide in 2024.
In February 2026, NAFDAC said it destroyed fake, expired, counterfeit and banned medicines worth ₦15 billion in Ibadan.
The products included Analgin, codeine-based syrups, Tramadol and expired vaccines.
In Lagos, the agency said it seized more than 10 million doses of counterfeit malaria medicines and cosmetics valued at about ₦3 billion in February 2026 and arrested four suspects.
In June, NAFDAC said it uncovered a counterfeit rice factory in Nasarawa State, where it confiscated more than 1,600 bags of rice valued at ₦5 billion.
Five people were also arrested in Abuja over the alleged sale of counterfeit cosmetics worth ₦35 million.
64 counterfeiters convicted
NAFDAC said its enforcement activities had resulted in 64 convictions for counterfeiting across the country.
The agency said those convicted received prison sentences ranging from one to seven years without the option of a fine.
It noted that the convictions included cases involving fake antibiotics, falsified antimalarial medicines and codeine-containing cough syrups.
NAFDAC explains limits of its mandate
NAFDAC also clarified that its regulatory mandate does not cover every food product sold in Nigeria.
The agency said its powers under the NAFDAC Act cover processed and packaged food products, while unbranded and unpackaged products such as palm oil and fufu sold in open markets fall outside its direct regulatory oversight.
Such products, it said, are primarily regulated by sub-national authorities.
NAFDAC added that imported fresh produce, including apples, grapes and oranges, falls under the quarantine responsibilities of the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service.
The agency said it would continue to work with relevant authorities to strengthen food safety regulation.
It urged Nigerians to report suspected non-compliant products through its official complaint channels rather than relying solely on unverified social media claims.
The latest disclosure comes amid renewed concerns over the circulation of suspected counterfeit, adulterated and substandard food and consumer products in Nigeria.
The concerns gained fresh attention in recent days after Nigerians began sharing reports on social media about products they suspected were fake, adulterated or unsafe. The claims have covered a wide range of products, including yoghurt, palm oil, soy sauce, olive oil, chicken, fish, water, beverages and other household consumables.
The controversy further raised questions about the effectiveness of Nigeria’s product-regulation system, particularly the capacity of agencies such as NAFDAC and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to keep unsafe products out of the market.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M