NAFDAC Destroys N10bn Counterfeit, Substandard Products In Kano

Nigeria’s drug and food regulatory agency has destroyed over 600 tons of counterfeit, expired, and substandard products valued at more than N10 billion in Kano, marking one of its largest public enforcement actions in recent years.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) carried out the exercise, which involved burning 618 tons of seized items collected from markets and warehouses across Kano and neighbouring states.

Officials noted that the destroyed products posed significant risks to public health, spanning fake medicines, contaminated foods, hazardous cosmetics, and other unsafe goods.

Addressing attendees at the site, NAFDAC’s Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, said the operation reflected the government’s determination to prevent the circulation of dangerous products and to hold offenders accountable. She was represented by Fraden Nantim-Mullah, the agency’s Director for Nigeria’s North-West zone.

Among the destroyed items were counterfeit and substandard medicines, including antibiotics, antimalarials, blood pressure drugs, painkillers, herbal remedies, and controlled psychoactive substances.

“Our mandate is unequivocal: to ensure that every regulated product available to Nigerians meets stringent standards of safety and quality.

“Today’s exercise demonstrates our unwavering commitment to executing this mandate without compromise,” Adeyeye said.

Officials added that the seizures also included adulterated vegetable oils, contaminated beverages, unsafe sachet water, falsified tomato paste, and substandard food condiments.

NAFDAC additionally destroyed cosmetic products containing dangerous chemicals, fake agrochemicals such as insecticides and pesticides that threaten food production, and counterfeit medical devices, including compromised diagnostic kits and infusion equipment.

“Each of these categories represents a deliberate assault on public health. Those involved are not just breaking regulations; they are endangering lives and undermining Nigeria’s health security,” Adeyeye said.

The destruction of the dangerous products underscored NAFDAC’s commitment to protecting public health and ensuring that Nigerians have access only to safe and quality-regulated goods.