A Federal High Court in Umuahia, Abia State, has sentenced Innocent Okoye, a businessman and Managing Director of Chikason Industrial Nigeria Limited, to five years’ imprisonment for manufacturing and selling counterfeit Goya Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Gatekeepers News reports that the court, presided over by Justice K. O. Ogundare, convicted Okoye on two counts relating to the production and sale of the fake product on Wednesday, October 28, 2026.
However, the businessman was given the option of paying a N5 million fine in place of the prison sentence.
The conviction was secured by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) following an investigation into the production and distribution of counterfeit Goya olive oil.
According to NAFDAC, its Investigation and Enforcement Directorate uncovered an illegal manufacturing facility in Aba during an enforcement operation in April 2026.
Officials arrested Okoye during the operation and recovered samples of the suspected counterfeit products, which were subsequently sent to the agency’s laboratory for analysis.
The investigation led to his prosecution and eventual conviction.
The development follows an earlier warning by NAFDAC in January 2026 over the circulation of fake Goya olive oil packaged in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottles and presented as genuine imported products.
At a media briefing in Lagos, Martins Iluyomade, NAFDAC’s Director of Investigation and Enforcement, disclosed that the agency had also uncovered an illegal production facility at Oke-Arin Market, Idumota, Lagos.
He said operators at the facility allegedly mixed palm oil with colouring agents before repackaging the mixture as Goya olive oil.
Iluyomade explained that genuine Goya olive oil approved for sale in Nigeria was imported in its original glass bottles through authorised distribution channels.
He consequently advised consumers to be cautious of products bearing the Goya brand name but packaged in PET plastic bottles.
NAFDAC urged consumers, traders and religious organisations to verify the sources of food products they purchase and report suspected counterfeit goods and illegal manufacturing facilities to the agency.
The agency reiterated its commitment to tackling the production and distribution of counterfeit and substandard products through market surveillance, laboratory investigations and prosecution of offenders.
