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 as part of a nationwide crackdown on counterfeit and unwholesome goods valued at more than N5.3 billion.

The products, which included pharmaceuticals, chemicals, tomato paste, biscuits and other consumer goods considered unsafe for use or consumption, were seized by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) at the Onne Port between 2025 and 2026.

The destruction took place at the weekend at the Rivers State Waste Management Agency dumpsite along the Oyigbo Expressway, Elelenwo, Port Harcourt.

Speaking during the exercise, NAFDAC Director-General, 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 were expected to be evacuated from the port for destruction.

He said the process leading to the exercise had taken almost two weeks but expressed optimism that closer collaboration among relevant agencies would make subsequent operations faster and more efficient.

He commended the NCS for intercepting the products and urged the service to ensure that other seized consignments were made available for destruction without delay.

Describing the fight against counterfeit products as a critical component of national security, Iluyomade warned that unsafe food and fake or substandard medicines posed serious risks to public health.

“No single agency can tackle the menace of insecurity alone. When people cannot access safe medicines or eat good food, they are insecure,” he said.

He reaffirmed NAFDAC’s commitment to protecting public health, assuring Nigerians that the agency would intensify efforts to ensure that only safe food, medicines and other regulated products were available in the country.

Iluyomade urged members of the public to report suspected counterfeit products through NAFDAC’s established channels, including its state offices and contact details published on its website.

He cautioned against immediately publicising discoveries of suspected fake products on social media, explaining that such disclosures could alert those responsible and give them time to conceal the goods before enforcement officers arrived.

He said timely information from the public remained crucial to the agency’s operations, adding that enforcement agencies needed public cooperation to discharge their responsibilities effectively.

Iluyomade warned manufacturers and traders involved in producing or distributing counterfeit goods that NAFDAC would continue its efforts to bring offenders to justice.