Health
N120bn fake products destroyed in six months – NAFDAC
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The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control said it destroyed over N120bn worth of seized products from July to December 2024, in the six geo-political zones and the Federal Capital Territory.
This was as the agency assured Nigerians that adequate measures had been put in place to safeguard their health before, during and after the Yuletide season.
This was contained in the Yuletide message of the Director General of NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, to Nigerians, in a statement signed by the agency’s Resident Media Consultant, Sayo Akintola, on Sunday.
Adeyeye emphasised the need to eat safe and stay safe during the festive period.
She reiterated the need for Nigerians to always procure food and drinks in outlets with identifiable addresses and locations to ease the agency’s track and trace obligation, adding that medicines and packaged food products that do not have NAFDAC number should be avoided. And when a product is too cheap, its most likely to be compromised.
Adeyeye said officers of the agency’s Investigation and Enforcement Directorate would continue the ongoing mop-up of substandard and falsified medicines and unwholesome food items from the markets across the country.
“Officials of the Agencys Investigation and Enforcement Directorate, Pharmacovigilance Directorate and Post-Marketing Surveillance Directorate are jointly on the field mopping up falsified medicines, fake wines and drinks and unwholesome food products that could endanger the health of the people during the festive season.
“The agency had stormed supermarkets in the big cities across the country such as Lagos, Port Harcourt, Aba, Ibadan, Kaduna, and the FCT, to apprehend manufacturers and merchants of fake drugs and unwholesome foods, while products running into billions of naira have been confiscated in the last three months of renewed enforcement.
“On Wednesday, December 11, 2024, the agency destroyed expired, unregistered drugs worth N11bn in Ibadan, Oyo State. In November, the Agency seized N300m worth of fake medicines during a raid of Tyre Village, Trade Fair Complex, Lagos State. Officers of the agency also busted counterfeit alcohol packaging centres and seized items worth N2bn in Lagos. This followed reports of illegal revalidation of expired alcoholic beverages at the Trade Fair Complex in Lagos,” it noted.
It said the agency also confiscated bags of repackaged and expired rice worth N5bn, and sealed a factory and eight shops where counterfeit rice are packaged and distributed in Nasarawa State.
It added that over 1,600 bags of counterfeit rice worth N5bn were confiscated in Wuse and Garki markets, Abuja.
Adeyeye maintained that only safe, quality, and wholesome food products should be available to Nigerians during the Yuletide and beyond.
She specifically instructed that those counterfeiting popular brands of rice should be arrested and their products removed from the market.
It stated that a total of 150 shops at Eziukwu Market in Aba, a suburb of Abia State, were shut down following an operation by the agency.
“As the mop-up operation was going on in the FCT and Nasarawa State, NAFDAC was carrying out a two-day operation in the Aba market on December 16 and 17, 2024. During the operation, the agency uncovered large-scale production and distribution of fake and expired goods, including beverages, carbonated drinks, wines, spirits, vegetable oils, and revalidated food items such as noodles, powdered milk, and yoghurt with a market value of N5bn.
“The agency on Wednesday, December 11, 2024, also destroyed expired, unregistered, counterfeit, and smuggled products valued at N10,991,458,374.60.
The destroyed items, collected from five states in the South-West Zone (excluding Lagos) and Kwara State in the North Central Zone due to its proximity, were incinerated in Ibadan.
“In total, over N120bn worth of seized products were destroyed by the agency in six months (July-December) in the six geo-political zones and FCT.
“The DG, however, stated that the agency would not rest on its oars until the merchants of death are forced out of operation, warning that the agency would make it hard for them to operate freely and endanger the health of innocent consumers. The coming year will be tough for the people that prioritise money over the well-being of their fellow human beings by compromising quality of medicines and food products in the country,” the statement noted.
Health experts have assured Nigerians that advances in science, treatment and technology have transformed HIV from a fatal diagnosis into a manageable health condition.
The assurance was given at the weekend in Abuja by the Chief Executive Officer of APIN Public Health Initiatives, Prof. Prosper Okonkwo, during activities marking the organisation’s 25th anniversary.
Okonkwo said people living with HIV can now achieve viral suppression, live healthy lives, have families and pursue their careers without the virus defining their future, describing the progress as the result of years of investment, advocacy and public health interventions.
He noted that APIN currently has more than 314,000 patients on antiretroviral treatment, while about 96 per cent of them have achieved viral load suppression, adding that access to treatment has improved significantly compared to the early years of the epidemic.
The organisation also disclosed that more than 83,000 pregnant women and children who tested positive for HIV in Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, Plateau and Benue states had been placed on treatment as of March 2026, highlighting ongoing efforts to reduce mother-to-child transmission and improve healthcare outcomes.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has warned sachet water producers to stop producing unregistered water and to renew expired licences or face punishment.
The warning was given by the Director of NAFDAC in the South-South Zone, Chukwuma Oligbu, after the agency carried out an enforcement operation in parts of Rivers State, including Asari Toru, Akuku Toru, Degema, and Ikwerre Local Government Areas.
During the operation, 16 sachet water factories were shut down and their owners were invited for questioning.
NAFDAC said the factories were found operating in dirty conditions, using unsafe filters, providing wrong addresses, and, in some cases, using expired licences or violating other regulations.
In a statement on Thursday by the Public Relations Officer of the South-South Zone, Cyril Monye, the agency also warned that factories operating illegally or obstructing officials from carrying out their duties would be shut down and their owners prosecuted.
NAFDAC further urged the public to report any illegal water production.
According to the statement, “The sachet water factories include: Obra Bo Table Water, Abalama, Asari Toru LGA; Loilia Table Water, Okpo, Degema LGA; Jima Table Water, Obuama Harry Town, Degema LGA; and Inye Table Water, Obuama Harry Town, Degema LGA.
“Others are Obuta Table Water, Obuama Harry Town, Degema LGA; S.P. Nimi Table Water, Obuama Harry Town, Degema LGA; Soaltam Table Water, Obuama Harry Town, Degema LGA; and Piasso Table Water, Usokun, Degema LGA.
“Also shut down are: Imumsco Table Water, Port Harcourt–Degema Road, Degema LGA; Granpa Table Water, Abonnema, Akuku Toru LGA; Daa Ajuka Table Water, Abonnema, Akuku Toru LGA; and Diob Table Water, Abonnema, Akuku Toru LGA.
“At Ikwerre LGA, four factories were shut down. They include AQUA-TOBSON Table Water, DUCO Table Water, CHISODEK Table Water, and NEO BRAIN Table Water.”
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has warned Nigerians against relying on unverified home remedies for Ebola Virus Disease, stressing that substances such as bitter kola, salt water, herbs, and seasoning cubes cannot prevent or cure the deadly infection.
The agency issued the warning in a public advisory obtained by our correspondent, titled “Ebola Virus Disease (EVD): Myths vs Facts,” amid growing concerns and online rumours linked to a regional Ebola outbreak.
According to the NCDC, Nigeria has not recorded any confirmed case of Ebola, but misinformation surrounding fake cures could create panic and endanger lives.
“There is currently no approved home remedy for Ebola Virus Disease,” the agency stated.
It added: “Early reporting, supportive medical care, and strict infection prevention and control measures are critical. Avoid self-medication and seek care promptly if symptoms develop.”
The agency specifically debunked widespread claims circulating on social media suggesting that “drinking salt water, consuming bitter kola, or using herbal mixtures could protect people from Ebola infection.”
Public health experts have repeatedly warned that reliance on unproven remedies during disease outbreaks often delays proper treatment and increases the risk of transmission.
The NCDC also cautioned Nigerians against spreading unverified health information online, noting that false claims could undermine public health response efforts.
“Sharing unverified information can create panic and confusion. Members of the public are advised to rely only on updates from official public health authorities and credible sources,” the advisory said.
The agency urged Nigerians to remain vigilant despite the absence of any confirmed Ebola case in the country.
“Although no case has been confirmed in Nigeria, outbreaks in the region require vigilance, preparedness, and responsible public health behaviour to reduce the risk of importation and transmission,” it stated.
The warning has revived memories of Nigeria’s 2014 Ebola outbreak, when rumours about salt-water baths and bitter kola consumption flooded communities after the virus entered the country through an infected traveller from Liberia.
At the time, health authorities dismissed the claims after reports emerged that some Nigerians consumed excessive amounts of salt water in desperate attempts to avoid infection, leading to health complications in some cases.
Nigeria was eventually lauded globally for successfully containing the 2014 Ebola outbreak through aggressive contact tracing, rapid isolation of suspected cases, public awareness campaigns, and coordinated emergency response measures.
In its latest advisory, the NCDC urged Nigerians to prioritise preventive measures such as regular hand hygiene, avoiding contact with bodily fluids of sick persons, and promptly reporting unusual illnesses to health authorities.
The agency also reassured the public that surveillance and preparedness activities were ongoing across the country to prevent any possible outbreak.
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