The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has destroyed fake, expired and substandard products worth N2.6 billion in Rivers State.

The products, seized by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) at the Onne Port between 2025 and 2026, included pharmaceuticals, chemicals, tomato paste, biscuits and other consumer goods.

The destruction took place at the weekend at the Rivers State Waste Management Agency dumpsite along Oyigbo Expressway, Elelenwo, Port Harcourt, as part of a nationwide crackdown on counterfeit and unwholesome products valued at more than N5.3 billion.

The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, represented by the Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Martins Iluyomade, said the exercise marked the first phase of the destruction of the seized products.

Iluyomade, who is also Chairman of the Federal Task Force on Counterfeit, Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods, said more seized consignments would be evacuated from the port for destruction.

He commended the NCS for intercepting the products and urged the service to facilitate the release of other seized consignments for prompt destruction.

Iluyomade described the fight against counterfeit products as a national security concern, warning that fake medicines and unsafe food posed serious risks to public health.

He urged members of the public to report suspected counterfeit products through NAFDAC’s established channels, including its state offices and official website.

He also cautioned against publicising suspected counterfeit products on social media before reporting them to the agency, saying such disclosures could alert suspected offenders and allow them to conceal the goods before enforcement officers arrived.

Iluyomade reaffirmed NAFDAC’s commitment to tackling the production and distribution of counterfeit products and bringing offenders to justice.