The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has secured the conviction of a businessman in Aba, Abia State, for manufacturing and promoting counterfeit Goya Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
The businessman, Innocent Okoye, managing director of Chikason Industrial Nigeria Limited, was sentenced to 5 years’ imprisonment, with an choice of a ₦5 million high quality.
Justice Okay. O. Ogundare of the Federal High Court, Umuahia, Abia State, delivered the judgment on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, after convicting Okoye on two counts referring to the manufacture and sale of counterfeit Goya oil, in line with info launched by NAFDAC.
The conviction adopted an enforcement operation by NAFDAC’s Investigation and Enforcement Directorate in April 2026, throughout which officers uncovered a facility in Aba allegedly used to supply and distribute the counterfeit product.
Okoye was arrested, whereas samples of the recovered merchandise have been despatched to NAFDAC’s laboratory for evaluation. The investigation subsequently led to his prosecution and conviction.
In January 2026, NAFDAC had warned Nigerians about counterfeit Goya oil packaged in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottles and offered as real imported merchandise.
At a media briefing in Lagos, the company’s Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Dr Martins Iluyomade, disclosed that investigators had uncovered an unlawful manufacturing operation at Oke-Arin Market, Idumota, Lagos.
According to NAFDAC, operators on the facility allegedly combined palm oil with colouring brokers earlier than repackaging the combination as Goya oil on the market.
Iluyomade mentioned real Goya oil authorized on the market in Nigeria was imported in unique glass bottles by way of authorised distribution channels. He warned shoppers towards merchandise bearing the model title however packaged in PET plastic bottles.
The company has urged shoppers, merchants and spiritual organisations to confirm the sources of merchandise they buy and be careful for suspicious packaging or uncommon product presentation.
It additionally inspired Nigerians to report suspected counterfeit merchandise, unlawful manufacturing services and distribution networks to the closest NAFDAC workplace or by way of its official reporting channels.
NAFDAC mentioned tackling meals counterfeiting required cooperation amongst producers, distributors, retailers, shoppers and regulation enforcement companies to forestall falsified merchandise from getting into legit provide chains.
The company reiterated its dedication to strengthening market surveillance, laboratory investigations and enforcement operations, in addition to prosecuting people and corporations concerned within the manufacturing and distribution of counterfeit and substandard regulated merchandise.
We’ve acquired the sting. Get real-time studies, breaking scoops, and unique angles delivered straight to your cellphone. Don’t accept stale information. Join LEADERSHIP NEWS on WhatsApp for twenty-four/7 updates →
