Fake produce: A public health emergency

COUNTERFEITERS of food, drinks and medicines are gambling with human lives for profit. Their crimes go beyond commercial fraud. They expose unsuspecting Nigerians to poisoning, organ damage and potentially fatal illnesses. They also destroy legitimate businesses by exploiting trusted brand names. This public health emergency demands urgent action and severe punishment.

Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga voiced the public’s frustration after the discovery of a suspected counterfeit alcohol operation in Aba, Abia State. He called for the death penalty for counterfeiters, arguing that anything less would fail to stop their activities.

His proposal raises legitimate questions about deterrence and proportionality, but his compelling central point is that counterfeiting must carry consequences severe enough to make criminals think twice.

Recent operations by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control reveal the alarming scale of the fakery.

At the Trade Fair Complex in Lagos, officials uncovered a suspected syndicate refilling bottles of expensive wines with adulterated alcoholic mixtures and applying counterfeit labels.

In Aba, the agency seized fake packaging materials valued at more than N200 million from five shops on Old Court Road. The materials bore the names of popular brands, including Jameson, Glenfiddich, Four Cousins and Seaman’s Aromatic Schnapps.

NAFDAC reported threats and resistance during its Aba operation. Such intimidation must not deter enforcement. Officers require adequate protection, and those who threaten them must face the law.

The problem extends beyond alcohol. In Agege, Lagos, NAFDAC uncovered an illegal herbal-product facility whose products allegedly carried falsified registration numbers.

In Port Harcourt, the agency destroyed goods worth N2.6 billion as part of a nationwide crackdown on counterfeit and unwholesome products. Within one week, NAFDAC seized and destroyed fake goods valued at more than N5.3 billion.

There are also concerns about the use of chemicals to accelerate the ripening of bananas, watermelons, oranges and other produce and allegations that Sudan dyes are being used to adulterate palm oil.

Such claims demand prompt laboratory testing, transparent findings and clear public warnings where contamination is confirmed. Consumers must be protected without spreading unverified allegations that could unfairly damage legitimate businesses.

The consequences of food and drink adulteration can be devastating. Unknown ingredients, contaminated raw materials and unsafe chemical concentrations can cause serious illness and damage vital organs.

Counterfeit packaging compounds the danger by deceiving consumers into believing they are buying tested, regulated products. No family should have to fear that an ordinary purchase could endanger their health.

The House of Representatives has called for intensified action against fake, adulterated and substandard food and beverages.

Lawmaker Abubakar Yalleman highlighted the dangers of falsified expiry dates, misleading labels, fake batch numbers and fabricated manufacturers’ details. These practices frustrate traceability and make it harder to identify the source of dangerous products.

NAFDAC reported seizing and destroying counterfeit and substandard goods worth N120 billion between July and December 2024.

Yet recurring discoveries raise a troubling question: why does this trade persist despite repeated raids and seizures?

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The answer is that confiscating products is not enough. Authorities must identify and prosecute the manufacturers, financiers, importers and distributors behind these operations.

NAFDAC, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, the Nigeria Customs Service and other enforcement agencies must share intelligence, trace supply chains and sustain surveillance beyond headline-grabbing raids.

Punishment must also reflect the seriousness and profitability of the crime.

Parliament should review applicable penalties, strengthen fines and ensure that substantial custodial sentences and confiscation of criminal proceeds are available where warranted.

Repeat offenders and organised criminal networks must not escape meaningful consequences through weak enforcement or procedural delays.

Onanuga’s call for capital punishment underscores public anger, but the debate must be informed by constitutional safeguards, fair-trial protections and credible evidence about deterrence.

Whatever the final position on the death penalty, there must be no confusion about the need for severe, proportionate and consistently enforced sanctions.

A business that knowingly endangers human lives must never be treated as an ordinary commercial offence.

Consumers need accessible channels for reporting suspicious products, while whistleblowers and enforcement officers must be protected against intimidation.

Manufacturers and retailers must strengthen supply-chain controls and exercise due diligence.

However, consumers cannot be expected to identify every counterfeit product. Sophisticated packaging can deceive even vigilant buyers, and chemical adulteration may be impossible to detect without laboratory testing.

The Federal Government must stop treating each discovery as an isolated scandal. Every raid should lead, where evidence permits, to prosecutions, the dismantling of criminal networks and public disclosure of the outcome.

Low-income households must have access to affordable, safe food rather than being left to choose between price and health.

Nigeria cannot afford a system in which counterfeiters repeatedly reappear while consumers bear the consequences. The objective must be clear: detect swiftly, prosecute successfully, confiscate illicit gains and impose penalties that deter others.

Those who knowingly turn food and drinks into potential instruments of poisoning must face the full weight of the law.

Seizing fake products is necessary; making their perpetrators pay a high price is indispensable.

Protecting Nigerians from counterfeit goods is not an occasional enforcement exercise. It is a continuing obligation to protect human life.