The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has uncovered an illegal herbal product manufacturing facility in Agege, Lagos State, where operators allegedly used a registration number assigned to a cough syrup to market and distribute bitters.
The agency disclosed this in a statement posted on its official X page on Wednesday, following a report published by The Guardian on October 10, 2026, concerning herbal products bearing falsified NAFDAC registration numbers.
“NAFDAC has uncovered an illegal herbal product manufacturing facility in Agege, Lagos State, following a report published by The Guardian on 10 October 2026 concerning herbal products bearing falsified NAFDAC registration numbers,” the agency said.
According to NAFDAC, its investigative team conducted surveillance on the facility before uncovering three variants of Asheitu Adams Bitters allegedly bearing a fraudulent registration number.
“A NAFDAC investigative team conducted surveillance and subsequently discovered three variants of Asheitu Adams Bitters bearing NAFDAC Registration Number A7-1827L,” the statement read.
The agency said verification through its National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control Automated Product Administration and Monitoring System (NAPAMS) portal showed that the registration number was assigned to an entirely different product.
“Verification through NAFDAC’s NAPAMS portal revealed that the registration number belongs to Greentol Cough Syrup, confirming its fraudulent use on the herbal products,” it added.
NAFDAC disclosed that the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the company was absent during the operation, while the company manager was arrested for questioning.
“The company manager was arrested for further interrogation,” the agency stated.
The regulator urged members of the public to provide credible information that could assist in identifying and dismantling illegal manufacturing facilities across the country.
“The agency urges members of the public to provide credible information on suspected illegal manufacturing activities to the NAFDAC Call Centre on 0800-1-623322 or 0700-1-623322, or email reforms@nafdac.gov.ng,” the statement said.
The discovery adds to NAFDAC’s recent enforcement operations targeting counterfeit and unregistered products, particularly alcoholic beverages, in Lagos.
On October 14, the agency reportedly seized counterfeit alcoholic beverages valued at more than N2 billion during a raid at the International Trade Fair Complex in Lagos.
The operation followed an earlier enforcement exercise in October at Ile-Epo Market, where alcoholic beverages estimated to be worth N300 million were seized.
The latest discovery underscores the regulator’s efforts to clamp down on the falsification of product registration numbers and the manufacture and distribution of products operating outside established regulatory requirements.
