NAFDAC reveals ‘death warehouses’

NAFDAC has uncovered and seized over 10 million doses of counterfeit and banned medicines worth more than N3 billion from concealed warehouses in Lagos, describing the operation as one of the worst in recent years.

LAGOS — The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has uncovered what it described as “one of the worst counterfeit medicine operations in recent years,” seizing over 10 million doses of fake and banned drugs hidden in warehouses in Lagos State. The discovery followed intelligence gathered during a training meeting held on February 3, which raised suspicions about activities around the Trade Fair–Navy area, according to NAFDAC officials.

Briefing journalists in Lagos, the agency’s Director of Investigation and Enforcement and Chairman of the Federal Task Force on Fake and Substandard Products, Mr Martins Iluyomade, said operatives found several warehouse structures designed to look like residential buildings but used solely for storage. “Acting on information from that meeting, our team visited the location and found multiple warehouse structures built like residential houses but used solely for storage. The area is deserted, not somewhere people normally go, which is likely why they operated undetected,” he said.

Iluyomade said officials discovered large quantities of counterfeit medicines, including injectable anti-malarials, antibiotics, sachet drugs, blister packs and banned products such as Analgin, which has been prohibited for over 15 years. “What we discovered should make every Nigerian cry. These were not just fake vitamins. These were life-saving medicines — injections used in emergency cases like cerebral malaria. When fake injections are used in such situations, it becomes a death sentence,” he said, adding that the products, valued at over N3 billion, were evacuated in eight trailers and would not be allowed to enter circulation.

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