The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has condemned the violent actions of traders at the Lagos Trade Fair Market who attacked its personnel during an enforcement operation, leaving five officials injured and destroying property worth billions of naira.
NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, revealed the details at a news conference in Lagos on Saturday, describing the incident as a “deliberate and coordinated ambush” carried out on October 30 to obstruct the seizure of dangerous counterfeit products.
Represented by Dr. Martins Iluyomade, Adeyeye said the enforcement team had successfully impounded four trucks loaded with fake and unsafe goods valued at over ₦500 million before armed attackers descended on them with the intention to inflict harm.
“These products violate the Counterfeit and Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods Act. Our duty is to protect Nigerians, but criminals benefiting from illegal trade unleashed violence to shield their activities,” she said.
According to her, about 20 operational vehicles belonging to NAFDAC and supporting security agencies were vandalised, a loss she estimated at more than ₦25 billion. She added that intelligence later confirmed that the assault was designed not only to sabotage the operation but also to target the agency’s Director of Investigation and Enforcement for possible assassination.
Adeyeye dismissed claims circulating on social media that military personnel provoked the clash, stating that armed forces were only on ground to provide routine security support for the federal task force.
She praised the professionalism of the military and police in ensuring that the enforcement team escaped the chaotic scene without fatalities.
Reaffirming NAFDAC’s resolve to continue its crackdown on counterfeiters, Adeyeye vowed that those behind the attack would be identified and prosecuted fully.
“We will not retreat from our mandate to ensure that only safe and quality-regulated products reach Nigerian consumers,” she insisted.