Poison for profit: Why fake drinks are killing Nigerians and what must change now, By Chukwuemerie Uduchukwu

The war against fake and counterfeit products cannot be left to NAFDAC alone. Manufacturers must invest in secure packaging and rapid verification tools. Traders must refuse to stock goods of doubtful origin. Consumers must demand proof of authenticity and report irregularities. Lawmakers must pass the necessary statutes, and enforcement agencies must receive the resources to sustain operations beyond individual raids. Only a coordinated effort across these groups can shrink the space in which counterfeiters operate and restore confidence in the everyday items that sustain households.

The recent surge in counterfeit and fake drinks and consumables across Nigeria has reached alarming proportions, as confirmed by successive enforcement operations that uncovered vast networks of the illicit production and distribution of these goods in major commercial hubs in the country. In Lagos, officials of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) discovered more than twenty illegal stores hidden within the International Trade Fair Complex, where operators blended and repackaged popular alcoholic brands, revalidated expired and unsafe beverages, and stockpiled banned imports on a massive scale. The haul exceeded ₦2 billion in value, with two suspects arrested amid equipment including drums, filters, heating devices, labels, corks, and bottles of whisky, wine, and energy drinks.

Parallel actions in Aba targeted five shops at Old Court Road Market, seizing counterfeit labels, corks, packs, and outer packaging materials worth hundreds of millions of naira that bore the names of well-known brands such as Jameson, Glenfiddich, Four Cousins, Lord’s Dry Gin, and Imperial Blue. A separate facility at Omenazu Street revealed an unhygienic setup for manufacturing spirits and herbal liqueurs, complete with a 200-litre drum of liquid ethanol stored in large containers, dirty sieves, sealing machines, tree barks, and bottles already marked with established labels. These discoveries form part of a broader weekly haul exceeding ₦5.3 billion in seized and destroyed counterfeit products spanning drinks, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and food items. The pattern is clear: organised syndicates treat the health of the public as a commodity to be diluted, adulterated, or poisoned outright for profit, thereby flooding markets with products that can cause organ failure, chronic illness, or sudden death.

What drives individuals to pursue this murderous trade remains difficult to comprehend. The same people who mix industrial alcohol with flavourings, or who repackage expired stock under fresh labels, live in the same communities where their products circulate. They shop in the same markets, attend the same gatherings, and share the same water and food chains. Nothing shields them or their relatives from the very toxins they unleash. A child who drinks a counterfeit soft drink, a relative who takes a falsified medicine, or a friend who consumes adulterated spirits can die from the very enterprise that was meant to enrich the perpetrator. Greed appears to override even basic self-preservation. The calculation seems to rest on the assumption that the victims will always be strangers, the enforcement will always be temporary, and the profits will always outweigh the risk of detection. Yet, the raids demonstrate that the risk is real and growing. Traders who resisted evacuation of seized materials in Aba only underscored how deeply the trade has embedded itself, turning ordinary markets into nodes of organised harm.

Capital punishment for those who knowingly manufacture, package, or distribute fake drinks, foods, or medicines would signal that the state places the lives of citizens above the profits of syndicates. Such legislation would also equip investigators with stronger tools for asset forfeiture and for prosecuting financiers who never touch the products themselves but bankroll the operations.

The National Assembly must respond with laws that treat the counterfeiting of consumables as a capital offence. Existing penalties have proven insufficient to deter large-scale operators who calculate that fines or short prison terms are merely a cost of doing business. When the product itself can kill, the law should recognise the act as equivalent to premeditated harm against the public. Capital punishment for those who knowingly manufacture, package, or distribute fake drinks, foods, or medicines would signal that the state places the lives of citizens above the profits of syndicates. Such legislation would also equip investigators with stronger tools for asset forfeiture and for prosecuting financiers who never touch the products themselves but bankroll the operations. Delay only allows the networks to reorganise after each raid, relocating equipment and recruiting new fronts, while the public continues to bear the cost in hospital admissions and premature deaths.

The same legislative urgency applies to product authentication. The National Assembly should enact laws requiring NAFDAC to adopt systems already used by sister agencies in other countries. Every manufacturer selling products in Nigeria must include a barcode or pin code concealed beneath a scratch-off panel on the packaging. Consumers should be able to verify authenticity freely through both the manufacturer’s website and the NAFDAC portal, receiving immediate confirmation that the item is genuine and within its approved shelf life. Some pharmaceutical companies have already introduced comparable technology, proving that the infrastructure is feasible and that consumers respond when given a simple means of self-protection. The majority of companies marketing drinks, foods, cosmetics, and other consumables have not followed suit. This gap leaves the market open to counterfeiters who simply copy packaging without any corresponding digital trail. The present moment offers the clearest opportunity for action. Enforcement operations have exposed the scale of the problem, public awareness is rising, and the technical capacity exists. National Assembly members and the NAFDAC leadership can close the loophole by making the scratch-off code mandatory for all regulated products sold within the country, with clear timelines for compliance, and penalties for non-adherence.

The lives already lost or damaged by adulterated drinks and consumables make clear that half-measures will not suffice. The country can either tolerate a trade that treats public health as expendable or it can mobilise every available institution and citizen to end it. The choice will determine whether the next generation inherits markets filled with safe products or continues to navigate a terrain of hidden poisons.

While these measures take shape, ordinary Nigerians must protect themselves through deliberate purchasing habits. Products of any kind should be bought only from reputable stores whose ownership and supply chains can be traced. Medications, in particular, must be obtained solely from registered pharmaceutical outlets staffed by licensed professionals. Street vendors, informal markets, and unverified online sellers present the highest risk of receiving adulterated or expired goods. Checking packaging for signs of tampering, unusual pricing, or missing regulatory marks provides an additional layer of caution, yet the most reliable defence remains the choice of where to buy. Families can further reduce exposure by limiting bulk purchases from unknown sources and by reporting suspicious products or production activities directly to the relevant authorities. These steps do not replace systemic reform, but they reduce immediate harm, while stronger laws and authentication systems are put in place.

The war against fake and counterfeit products cannot be left to NAFDAC alone. Manufacturers must invest in secure packaging and rapid verification tools. Traders must refuse to stock goods of doubtful origin. Consumers must demand proof of authenticity and report irregularities. Lawmakers must pass the necessary statutes, and enforcement agencies must receive the resources to sustain operations beyond individual raids. Only a coordinated effort across these groups can shrink the space in which counterfeiters operate and restore confidence in the everyday items that sustain households. The lives already lost or damaged by adulterated drinks and consumables make clear that half-measures will not suffice. The country can either tolerate a trade that treats public health as expendable or it can mobilise every available institution and citizen to end it. The choice will determine whether the next generation inherits markets filled with safe products or continues to navigate a terrain of hidden poisons.

Chukwuemerie Uduchukwu writes from Abuja, Nigeria. He can be reached via [email protected]