NAFDAC accuses traders at trade fair complex of trying to kill officials

Ebun Emmanuel — November 2, 2025

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has said the Thursday’s violent attack on its officers at the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex was a planned attempt to assassinate them for daring to raid the facility  in search of fake and substandard products.

What began as a routine enforcement exercise on Thursday had quickly turned violent after some armed hoodlums invaded the complex, demanding to identify the Task Force chairman.

About 10 operational vehicles belonging to NAFDAC and other security agencies were vandalised during the attack.

NAFDAC had said that the operation, led by the Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Dr. Martins Iluyomade, was necessitated by information  on sale and distribution of counterfeit and unwholesome goods at the market.

Iluyomade, who also chairs the Federal Task Force on Counterfeit and Fake Drugs, said the incident was coordinated by traders from within the market.

“From reliable intelligence, this was planned. The market’s Chief Security Officer, who was accompanying us, issued a directive on their internal platform ordering all cluster leaders to act immediately. That was the signal for the lockdown and assault,” he said.

Briefing journalists in Lagos on Saturday, he explained that the officers had already confiscated several cartons of fake, banned, and unwholesome products before the attack began.

“They locked the gates and started throwing stones. We had to escape through three locked gates under attack. If not for the calmness and professionalism of the police and military personnel with us, there would have been casualties,” he said.

The agency condemned the violence and vowed to bring all perpetrators to justice.

It added that the attack at the Trade Fair Complex is the latest reminder of the growing dangers faced by NAFDAC enforcement officers in the fight against Nigeria’s booming counterfeit drug market.