Cosmetics, food, beverages make up half of all counterfeits seized by NAFDAC

Cosmetics, food, and beverages now account for more than half of all counterfeit products seized by Nigeria's drug and food regulator.

NAFDAC Director-General Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye announced this at a press conference on Wednesday to mark the 2026 International Anti-Counterfeit Month. She was represented by Dr Martins Iluyomade, the Director of Investigation and Enforcement.

"Cosmetics account for the most counterfeited products in Nigeria, followed by food and beverages, accounting for more than 50 per cent of seizures."

The agency also seized fake and substandard medicines — some with wrong ingredients, insufficient active substances, or no active ingredients at all.

But NAFDAC is worried about something bigger: how counterfeiters are getting these products into the country.

Adeyeye explained that the old method required importers to travel abroad, inspect factories, and arrange shipments themselves. That's changed.

"Today, someone can sit comfortably in a shop in Nigeria, place an order online, and have counterfeit products delivered to their doorstep through logistics companies."

Counterfeiters now use online procurement systems to order fake products directly from foreign manufacturers, especially in Asia. They also exploit cargo consolidation — a system called groupage — where multiple importers share a single shipping container. This makes it hard for regulators to spot suspicious consignments.

"No country in the world can effectively monitor every single package entering through such channels. This has become a serious security concern, not just for medicines but for other regulated products," Adeyeye said.

These fake products often copy the packaging of genuine brands so closely that even retailers struggle to tell the difference.

To fight back, NAFDAC has strengthened collaboration with security agencies, including the Nigeria Customs Service. The agency is also working to close regulatory loopholes and improve verification systems so manufacturers can confirm whether imported shipments actually came from their factories.

Adeyeye said the judiciary has helped by speeding up prosecutions. She noted several convictions since last year, with the most recent being a 40-year prison sentence handed down in February for a case that started in November.

The agency urged Nigerians to buy medicines only from authorised outlets, use product authentication technologies, and report suspected counterfeits to NAFDAC.