The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says the violent assault on its officials at the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex last Thursday was a planned assassination attempt on senior enforcement officers.
Director of Enforcement, Dr. Martins Iluyomade, who led the raid, said the attack was “premeditated and coordinated” by syndicates dealing in fake goods. Ten vehicles belonging to NAFDAC and security agencies were vandalised, causing over ₦25 million in damages.
Iluyomade explained that hoodlums, acting on internal instructions, locked the gates and launched the assault shortly after officers confiscated counterfeit products.
Addressing journalists on behalf of DG Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, he said the incident highlighted the dangers enforcement officers face. “This is an attack on national health security,” Adeyeye said, vowing that no criminal network would deter the agency’s operations.
She disclosed that NAFDAC, in collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service, had intercepted over 80 containers of counterfeit goods in recent months.
“The Trade Fair incident strengthens our resolve. We will continue until fake and substandard products are eradicated,” Adeyeye said.
