The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has uncovered a syndicate allegedly scamming foreign companies using fake NAFDAC documents.
The prime suspect, Mr Ikoro Ifendu, a native of Amamba Village in Abiriba, Ohafia Local Government Area of Abia State, was arrested on February 7, 2025, at Ogborn Hills, Aba, Abia State.
The NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, stated in a press conference on Friday that Ifendu, who holds only an SSCE qualification and trades in clothing materials, had been impersonating NAFDAC officials to defraud foreign companies of substantial sums of money.
She added that he allegedly orchestrated fraudulent schemes targeting companies across different countries, with Thani Almaeeni Trading Group, Abu Dhabi, UAE, being one of the victims.
Quoting Adeyeye, “The fraudsters operated through a complex three-pronged scheme involving a buyer, a bank, and a lawyer. They would contact foreign companies seeking to import goods into Nigeria, then introduce them to a supposed bank for payment processing.
“The bank would claim that the goods required NAFDAC approval, after which the companies would be referred to a fraudulent lawyer who would collect payments in instalments, issuing counterfeit NAFDAC certificates and receipts.
“Our investigation revealed that the group operates 15 domiciliary and five local accounts in seven Nigerian banks. One of these accounts has a BVN linked to two key members of the syndicate, Ikoro Mang Ifendu and Rosemary Obosi. However, the full extent of their financial operations is yet to be determined, as some accounts and alert messages have been deleted.”
The NAFDAC boss added that over $950,000 had flowed into the fraudster’s Nigerian accounts, while $450,000 was traced to offshore accounts in Cotonou, Benin Republic.
“Even as we speak, unsuspecting victims are still depositing funds into these fraudulent accounts. Just before this press conference, we received an alert of $75,000 in one of the domiciliary accounts,” she revealed.
Adeyeye reiterated that the fraudster issued various forged documents, including “A Certificate of Registration for dried fish (seafood) with a fake NAFDAC Registration No. A2-7059, issued to Thani Almaeeni Trading Group in Abu Dhabi.
“Revenue receipts for fraudulent payments, including ₦6,687,000, ₦20,900,000, and ₦6,819,200 to different foreign firms. Fake processing requirement documents demanding $13,785, fraudulently signed in the name of a former NAFDAC Director-General who retired a year earlier. These fraudsters were highly sophisticated.
“They used forged letterheads, fake revenue receipts, and counterfeit NAFDAC certificates to make their scams appear legitimate,” Adeyeye added.
Apart from Thani Almaeeni Trading Group, other foreign companies that fell victim to the scam include Japan Long Tie (China) Co. Ltd., Jinan, China—for condom importation; Aquaforest SP, Brzesko, Poland—for registration of drinks and vegetable oil; Nomea Srl, Italy—for NAFDAC product registration; Tianyan Filter Cloth Co. Ltd., Shanghai, China; and Siam Canadian China Ltd., Zhanjiang, Guangdong, China.
She, however, reiterated that once NAFDAC concluded its investigation on the falsification of regulated products, the case would be transferred to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for further investigation.
“This case is beyond NAFDAC’s mandate. “We will hand it over to the EFCC to expand the investigation into other areas, including tracking assets illegally acquired through these fraudulent activities under the Proceeds of Crime Act.”
Adeyeye noted that NAFDAC had restructured its Investigation and Enforcement Task Force, increasing the number of Investigating Police Officers and Mobile Police personnel to prevent further scams.
“The Federal Task Force and State Task Forces will also be reconstituted to enhance enforcement efforts nationwide. I want to assure Nigerians that NAFDAC is taking this issue seriously. We have strengthened our investigation and enforcement activities to curb fraudsters who exploit innocent businesses,” she asserted.
She further advised companies to always verify product registration directly via https://registration.nafdac.gov.ng/.
