NAFDAC secures five-year jail term for fake Goya oil manufacturer

Court gives Aba businessman option of ₦5m fine By Chioma Obinna 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 selling counterfeit Goya Extra Virgin Olive Oil, sentencing him to five years’ imprisonment with an option of a ₦5 million fine. The conviction, which followed months of investigation and prosecution, marks a major enforcement action against food counterfeiting and the growing threat posed by falsified products to unsuspecting Nigerian consumers. The businessman, Mr Innocent Okoye, Managing Director of Chikason Industrial Nigeria Limited, Aba, was convicted on two counts relating to the manufacture and sale of counterfeit Goya Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Justice K. O.

Ogundare of the Federal High Court, Umuahia, Abia State, delivered the judgment on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, according to information released by NAFDAC. The case arose from an enforcement operation conducted by the agency’s Investigation and Enforcement Directorate in April 2026, during which officials uncovered a facility in Aba allegedly used for the production and distribution of counterfeit Goya oil. NAFDAC arrested the suspect and forwarded samples of the recovered products to its laboratory for scientific analysis. The investigation subsequently led to criminal proceedings against Okoye and his eventual conviction on the two counts. The development comes amid growing concerns over the circulation of fake food products in Nigerian markets, with counterfeiters allegedly exploiting the popularity of established brands to deceive consumers and profit from products whose composition and safety cannot be guaranteed. In January 2026, NAFDAC raised the alarm over counterfeit Goya oil…