Innocent Okoye, managing director of Chikason Industrial Nigeria Limited, was convicted on two counts, with the court offering him an option of a ₦5m fine.
A Federal High Court in Umuahia, Abia State, has sentenced Innocent Okoye, an Aba-based businessman, to five years’ imprisonment for manufacturing and selling counterfeit Goya Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Okoye, managing director of Chikason Industrial Nigeria Limited, was convicted on two counts relating to the production and sale of the counterfeit product.
Justice K. O. Ogundare delivered the judgment on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, sentencing him to five years in prison with an option of a ₦5m fine, according to information released by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
The conviction followed an enforcement operation by NAFDAC’s Investigation and Enforcement Directorate in April 2026, during which officials uncovered a facility in Aba allegedly used to manufacture and distribute counterfeit Goya olive oil.
Okoye was arrested during the operation, and samples of the recovered products were taken to the agency’s laboratory for analysis. The investigation and subsequent laboratory examination led to his prosecution.
NAFDAC uncovers counterfeit oil production
The conviction follows earlier warnings by NAFDAC about fake Goya olive oil being sold in Nigeria, particularly products packaged in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottles and presented as genuine imports.
In January 2026, the agency warned consumers against buying or using Goya oil sold in PET bottles, saying the products were counterfeit and not authorised for sale.
At a media briefing in Lagos, Martins Iluyomade, NAFDAC’s director of investigation and enforcement, disclosed that operatives had uncovered an illegal production facility at Oke-Arin Market, Idumota, Lagos.
He said operators at the facility mixed palm oil with colouring agents before repackaging it as Goya olive oil.
“We discovered a factory producing fake Goya oil. Palm oil, colouring, stoves and empty bottles were recovered at the site,” Iluyomade said.
The January discovery in Lagos was a separate enforcement operation from the April investigation in Aba that led to Okoye’s conviction.
NAFDAC explains how to identify genuine Goya oil
Iluyomade said genuine Goya olive oil approved for sale in Nigeria is imported in its original glass bottles through authorised distribution channels.
“Goya oil sold in plastic bottles is fake. The only approved product is imported in original bottles by authorised dealers,” he said.
The agency urged consumers, traders and religious organisations to verify the sources of products they purchase and avoid Goya olive oil packaged in PET plastic bottles.
NAFDAC also advised members of the public to report suspected counterfeit products and illegal manufacturing facilities to its offices or through its official reporting channels.
The conviction adds to the agency’s enforcement efforts against the production and distribution of counterfeit food products in Nigerian markets.
