The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control says it has intercepted counterfeit malaria medicines valued at over ₦1.2 billion in Lagos State.
According to the agency, its enforcement team raided a warehouse in the Ilasa-Oshodi axis, where 277 cartons of unregistered Malamal Forte antimalarial drugs were uncovered.
In a statement posted on its official X handle on Friday, NAFDAC explained that the fake drugs had been smuggled into the country from Shanxi Tianyuan Pharmaceuticals Group in China. The products were concealed in cartons labeled Diclofenac Potassium 50mg and falsely declared as spare parts to avoid detection.
NAFDAC’s Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, described the seizure as part of the agency’s “sustained nationwide operation” to rid Nigeria of unsafe medicines.
“This seizure is part of NAFDAC’s sustained nationwide operation to protect public health and ensure only safe, quality medicines are available to Nigerians,” she said.
She added that the agency had strengthened surveillance at entry points and warehouses in collaboration with security agencies.
“With the full support of the Presidency and the Federal Ministry of Health, NAFDAC will not relent in its fight against counterfeiters. We remain committed to eliminating substandard and falsified medicines from circulation,” Adeyeye affirmed.
The agency warned importers and distributors that it would continue to clamp down on any attempt to smuggle harmful drugs into the country.
Public health experts have repeatedly cautioned that fake antimalarial drugs not only endanger lives but also worsen resistance to treatment.
Nigeria currently bears one of the highest malaria burdens worldwide, contributing about 27 percent of global malaria cases and 31 percent of related deaths, according to the World Health Organisation.
NAFDAC noted that Friday’s seizure reinforces its zero-tolerance stance against drug counterfeiting.
In recent years, the agency has destroyed billions of naira worth of expired and counterfeit medicines across the country, including a consignment worth ₦11 billion destroyed in Ibadan, Oyo State, in 2024.
