NAFDAC Intercepts Fake Malaria Drugs Worth N1.2bn In Lagos

As part of the efforts to combat the influx of fake, adulterated and expired drugs in the country, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has seized phoney malaria drugs worth N1.2 billion.

Speaking to journalists, the director of Investigation and Enforcement, Martin Dotun, lamented that despite efforts by the agency to rid the country of fake drugs, unscrupulous traders still import counterfeit drugs into the country for the consumption of unsuspecting members of the public.

According to Dotun, the imported fake and expired drugs were concealed inside vehicle spare parts and were seized in Lagos.

“As part of their efforts to deceive our personnel, the importer told NAFDAC officials who confronted them along Oshodi-Mile 2 Expressway that the vehicle contained spare parts, but when enforcement officials trailed the vehicle to its destination, it was discovered that the drugs were hidden among the supposed vehicle spare parts.

These are part of the follow-up series of operations, which we started a few months ago with the raid of Aba, Onitsha and Idumota markets, where we seized many drugs. And I can assure you that this will not stop until the mandate from President Tinubu and NAFDAC DG, Dr Mojisola Adeyeye, to save Nigerians from the menace of fake drugs is accomplished.

“You can imagine how many people these would have impacted if these were not quickly seized, especially as they came with different fake tags bearing different labels, as the label would have misled people into buying them as anti-malaria drugs.”

“We shall not leave any stone unturned until we stamp out such,” he noted.

Speaking earlier, the officer who led the operation on August 29, 2025, Florence Uba, said the seized drugs were labelled with different names.

“We saw the long truck loaded with supposed vehicle spare parts. But I decided to follow the vehicle to the warehouse where they were offloading the supposed vehicle spare parts. Though they tried to deceive us, telling us that it was merely spare parts, we, however, saw that these 277 cartons of the drugs were inside them.

“On closer look, we saw they gave fake declaration while the cartons carried different names, the packs of 277 carried different names, the sachets of the drugs carried two different names, and until we do Laboratory test, we are yet to know the exact contents of those sachets.

“We have here what they tagged Diclofenac potassium enteric coated 50mg, Arthemeter/ lemufathrine 80/480 Mg-, Each tablet supposedly contains Arthemeter/ lemufathrine 80/480 Mg until it is tested in the laboratory.”