Drug Administration Evacuates N400m Counterfeit Products In Lagos Market

The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, has stated that despite the chaos, the agency successfully evacuated four truckloads of counterfeit products worth over N400 million from the market.

Persons suspected of being manufacturers and sellers of fake drugs and other products at the International Trade Fair Complex along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway attacked officials of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) during an enforcement operation.

Speaking at a press conference in Lagos, Prof. Adeyeye, who was represented by the Director of the Investigation and Enforcement Directorate (IED), Dr Iluyomade Martins, said the officials on duty narrowly escaped harm through the intervention of military officers present at the scene.

Narrating the incident, the NAFDAC DG, who said some traders allegedly hired thugs armed with various weapons to attack the agency’s operatives, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to rid the country of fake and substandard products.

She explained that the attack was a coordinated attempt to obstruct NAFDAC’s lawful operation.

“On Thursday, October 30, 2025, NAFDAC, in line with its mandate to safeguard public health, carried out an enforcement exercise at the Trade Fair Complex based on credible intelligence about the sale and distribution of fake, substandard, and unwholesome regulated products,” Prof. Adeyeye stated.

The NAFDAC boss disclosed that during the operation, hoodlums vandalised agency vehicles valued at over N25 billion, while about five staff members sustained various degrees of injuries.

“Reliable intelligence indicates that the attack was premeditated against the Director of I&E and some other NAFDAC staff. The market gates were locked on the directive of the Chief Security Officer, who ordered all cluster leaders to act immediately,” he added.

While noting that no arrests have yet been made, Martins said investigations are ongoing to identify and prosecute those behind the assault.

He commended the Nigerian Army and the Police for their swift intervention, which ensured the safe evacuation of the seized goods and prevented what could have been a tragic outcome.