The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Friday disclosed that its operatives intercepted counterfeit malaria medicines valued at over ₦1.2 billion in Lagos.

The agency, in a statement issued via its official X handle, said that its operatives raided a warehouse in the Ilasa-Oshodi area, where 277 cartons of the fake Malamal Forte drugs were discovered.

According to NAFDAC, the unregistered products were concealed in cartons labelled as Diclofenac Potassium 50mg and illegally imported from Shanxi Tianyuan Pharmaceuticals Group in China. The consignment was falsely declared as spare parts to evade detection.

Describing the interception as part of a broader crackdown, NAFDAC’s Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, explained that the agency had intensified monitoring at ports and warehouses across the country, working with other security agencies to stop smugglers from flooding the market with dangerous products.

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Adeyeye stressed that government backing had strengthened the agency’s fight against counterfeiters.

“NAFDAC has intercepted 277 cartons of counterfeit and unregistered Malamal Forte malaria drugs, valued at over ₦1.2 billion, in a warehouse located in the Ilasa-Oshodi area of Lagos State.

“This seizure is part of NAFDAC’s sustained nationwide operation to protect public health and ensure only safe, quality medicines are available to Nigerians.

“NAFDAC’s Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, reaffirmed the Agency’s commitment, with the full support of the Presidency and Federal Ministry of Health, to eliminating counterfeit and substandard medicines from Nigeria,” the statement added.