NAFDAC's ₦8bn fake goods destruction: why people want a full list, and how to check what you buy

NAFDAC says it destroyed fake, expired and banned products worth more than ₦8 billion in Lafia, Nasarawa State, most of them alcoholic drinks in sachets and small bottles that are now illegal. Photos from the exercise drew questions online about whether the pile matched the figure, with many asking for a full list of what was destroyed. Here is what the agency said, and how you can check products before you buy.

The destruction took place on Thursday 29 October in Lafia during the agency's North-Central zonal exercise. NAFDAC Director-General Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, represented by the zone's Deputy Director Joseph Edor, said the products were seized from manufacturing facilities, shops, markets and motor parks across the North-Central zone, Punch and Daily Trust reported. 'The bulk of the products in that pile are predominantly banned alcoholic beverages in low volumes of less than 200ml (20cl),' she said. Other items included expired, counterfeit and unwholesome food, medicines and cosmetics.

The ban on alcoholic drinks in sachets and in PET and glass bottles below 200ml took full effect on 1 January 2026, after a moratorium agreed in 2018 and an extension to 31 December 2025, ThisDay reported. NAFDAC first enforced it at factories and from July widened it to markets, motor parks, bars and distribution centres. The agency says the small packs are cheap and easy to hide, making them easy for children and young people to get, and that early exposure to alcohol can damage the brain, liver and kidneys.

NAFDAC's Nasarawa State Coordinator, Dr Gyani Stephen, said the exercise was meant to protect public health, not to hurt anyone, and warned traders selling fake and banned products to stop. The Nasarawa State Commander of the NDLEA, represented by Yakubu Awoh, commended the agency.

After photos of the exercise spread on social media on Monday 2 November, many users said the pile looked too small to be worth ₦8 billion and asked NAFDAC to publish an itemised list, the brands and quantities involved, and how the value was worked out. NAFDAC has not published such a breakdown, and ST Office did not find a response from the agency to the questions in trusted outlets at the time of writing.

Pidgin: NAFDAC talk say dem destroy fake and banned products wey worth pass ₦8 billion for Lafia, Nasarawa, most of am na sachet and small-bottle alcohol wey government don ban. People for online dey ask make NAFDAC show full list of wetin dem destroy. Before you buy medicine or food, check the NAFDAC number and report anything wey you suspect.

How this affects you: Alcoholic drinks in sachets or bottles smaller than 200ml are now banned, so anyone still selling them risks having stock seized. Before you buy medicines, food or cosmetics, check that the pack has a NAFDAC registration number and look it up at registration.nafdac.gov.ng or, for medicines, in the NAFDAC Greenbook. If a medicine has a scratch-off code, text the PIN to the number on the pack to check it. If you suspect a fake product, stop using it, keep the pack and receipt, and report it through the Greenbook app, by email to [email protected] or by calling 0800-162-3322. Report bad reactions to a medicine through the MedSafety app.