Nooktoria Legal Resource is currently working to digitize reports of counterfeiting and piracy within Nigeria (not only at the borders) through an online Incident Database. The Anti-counterfeiting and Piracy Incident Research Database captures information about counterfeiting and piracy suspects (including age and gender), victims, locations, arrests, seizures, estimated value of products, destruction exercises, product types, and the government agencies conducting operations in each incident. The incident database provides an opportunity for continued empirical investigation into the problem of product counterfeiting as well as piracy in Nigeria.
| Date of Incident/News Report | Agencies Involved | Country | Location or State | Description of Item or Types of Goods | Brands Counterfeited | Arrest or Fines (if any) | Summary | Crime Category or Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 7/19/2019 | National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) | Nigeria | Lagos | Frozen Fish in Lagos, Hair Extensions/Attachments and Bottled Water | Not Specified | No - Arrest | The National Agency for Food and Drugs Adminstration and Control (NAFDAC) intercepted 21 containers of spoilt frozen fish at Tincan Island Port in Lagos. Fish is among items banned for importation into the country by the Federal Government.The agency reportedly stated that they also seized four trucks of bottle water concealed in hair attachment cartons which were imported from China along side imported fruit juices labelled in Chinese language. | Restricted Products; Unregsitered Products |
| 5 | 4/26/2019 | National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) | Nigeria | Yobe | Yoghurt | RUQAYYA Yoghurt factory | Yes - Arrest | The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) shut down RUQAYYA Yoghurt factory in new Kukuri, Lai Lai ward of Potiskum LGA, Yobe state in a bid to safeguard the lives of Nigerians. The factory was shut down and the owner, Mohammed Sani arrested for unwholesome production of yoghurt. Product and equipment worth One Million, Five Hundred Thousand (N1,500,000) Naira were confiscated in the factory. | Unregistered Products; Manufacturing Conditions |
| 6 | 4/12/2019 | National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the National Association of Patent and Proprietary Medicines (NAPPMED) | Nigeria | Adamawa State | Medicine and Pharmaceutical Products | Not Specified | No - Arrest | The National Association of Patent and Proprietary Medicines (NAPPMED) which oversees the operations of private patent medicine vendors (PPMVs) across all 36 States of Nigeria and educates its members on general principles of primary health care delivery to ensure quality service delivery has has voluntarily surrendered expired drugs worth over 1.2 million Naira to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in Yola-South, Adamawa State. | Agency collaboration; Counterfeit Medicine; Stakeholders |
| 7 | 2/19/2019 | National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) | Nigeria | Lagos | Medicine and Pharmaceutical Products | Unidentified white creams, Nice Skin Maxitona Lotion, Perfect White Lightening Beauty Lotion, HQ High Quality Luxury Milk, and some unlabeled cosmetics. | Yes - Arrest | Justice Jude Dagat of the Federal High Court in Lagos, sentence one Ebenezer Arimiwen, a business, to 15 months imprisonment without an option of fine, for manufacturing fake cosmetics. The accused was arraigned with seven count charges bothering on manufacturing cosmetic products without approval, wrong labelling, distribution of unregistered cosmetic products and producing cosmetic without approval of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control Agency (NAFDAC). The products included some unidentified white creams, Nice Skin Maxitona Lotion, Perfect White Lightening Beauty Lotion, HQ High Quality Luxury Milk, and some unlabeled cosmetics. | Counterfeit Products; Counterfeit and Expired Products; Relabeling |
| 8 | 2/12/2019 | National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) | Nigeria | Lagos | Medicine and Pharmaceutical Products | Barcadin with Codeine cough syrup, Afrodic Diclofenac Potassium tablet of 50mg, Feed-Fine Cyprohenptadine caplet of 50mg and De Really Extra Diclofenac Sodium tablet. | Yes - Arrest | Luke Mbah, a business man, was been remanded in prison by Justice Oluremi Oguntoyibo of the Federal High Court in Lagos on a four-court charge filed against him by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) bothering on importation of banned drugs. The accused was alleged to have imported a 40-foot container-load of Barcadin with Codeine cough syrup, Afrodic Diclofenac Potassium tablet of 50mg, Feed-Fine Cyprohenptadine caplet of 50mg and De Really Extra Diclofenac Sodium tablet, without registration. The Federal Task Force on Counterfeit and Fake Drug and Unwholesome Processed Food, Investigation and Enforcement Directorate of NAFDAC, Police and Nigeria Customs Service arrested the accused. | Counterfeit Products; Banned Products; Counterfeit Medicine |
| 9 | 1/26/2019 | National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) | Nigeria | Nasarawa | Medicine and Pharmaceutical Products | Antibiotics, Anti-hypertensive and Anti-malarial drugs, Herbal Remedies, Psychoactive, and Controlled Substances. | No - Arrest | The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) destroyed fake and expired medical products worth N400 million in Nasarawa State. Products destroyed included antibiotics, anti-hypertensive and anti-malarial drugs, herbal remedies, psychoactive, and controlled substances. The products were voluntarily handed over by compliant companies, non-governmental organisations, trade unions, the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, and National Association of Proprietary and Patent Medicine Dealers. | Counterfeit Products; Counterfeit and Expired Products; Relabeling |
| 10 | 7/18/2017 | National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) | Nigeria | Abia | Beverages | Not Specified | Yes - Arrest | NAFDAC arrested four men in Aba for allegedly revalidating beverages. The suspects were caught revalidating drinks in cans and dairy products at the time of the arrest. | Relabelling; Counterfeits; Counterfeit Beverages |
| 11 | 9/28/2017 | National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) | Nigeria | Lagos | Beverages; Energy Drinks | Tasty Time and Glucozeaid Energy Drink | Yes - Arrest | NAFDAC arrested the Managing Director, Tasty Time Nigeria Ltd, Mr. Kole Isaac, for the production, distribution and sale of unregistered Tasty Time and Glucozeaid Energy Drink with fake registration number 01-2474L. | Relabelling; Counterfeits; Counterfeit Beverages |
| 12 | 8/23/2017 | National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) | Nigeria | Ogun State | Spaghetti | Not Specified | Yes - Arrest | NAFDAC arrested three men accused of stealing items earmarked for destruction at the Okediya Dumpsite, Sagamu, Ogun State. The three men, Kabiru Amar, Yusuf Ahmed and Mohammed Ibrahim, were nabbed carting away cartons of unwholesome spaghetti product during the destruction of fake and substandard products, | Counterfeit Products; Counterfeit and Expired Products |
| 13 | 9/21/2017 | National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) | Nigeria | Lagos | Lamhjib Herbal Medicine; Read-A-Dream;Tasty Time; Lucozade Energy Drink | Not Specified | Yes - Arrest | NAFDAC arrested Nura Ayuba, Yahaya Tanimu, Abubakar Ibrahim (A.K.A Lamido) and Idris Adamu (prime suspect) for unauthorized production of Lamhjib Herbal Medicine and forgery of NAFDAC number; illegal distribution and sales of suspected counterfeit Read-A-Dream insecticides and hair relaxers at Edo and Delta State and illegal production, distribution and sales of counterfeit Tasty Time Glucozaid energy drink, a pass-off of Lucozade energy drink in Lagos. | Relabelling; Counterfeits; Insecticide |
| 14 | 3/19/2018 | National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) | Nigeria | Abia | Food Seasoning | Benny Powdered Chicken Stock | Yes - Arrest | The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has arrested one Samuel Chukwu for allegedly faking a food seasoning product owned by another importer. | Counterfeit Products; Counterfeits |
Generalizing from the database has limitations because the incident database only captures incidents that have somehow come to the public’s attention through media publications. Nevertheless, the incident database serves as an empirical foundation where none yet exists and captures information about cases that are arguably the most important and for which concerted intervention is needed in Nigeria.
