Health
NAFDAC uncovers illegal sachet alcohol production despite ban — DG
Johnson Idowu
The Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, says the agency uncovered the continued illegal production of banned alcoholic drinks packaged in sachets and PET bottles below 200 millilitres, despite the Federal Government’s nationwide prohibition on the products.
Adeyeye disclosed this during a press briefing in the agency’s Lagos office on Tuesday while giving an update on the nationwide mop-up operation against the banned alcoholic products.
According to Adeyeye, enforcement teams conducting coordinated raids across Lagos, Ogun, and several other states discovered that some manufacturers were still producing the prohibited products, contrary to the government’s directive.
She said investigations revealed that factories traced to banned products circulating in markets were actively producing the alcoholic beverages, adding that the items were not old stock as claimed by some operators.
The NAFDAC boss disclosed that officers recovered 100ml PET bottles and rolls of packaging materials for sachet alcohol bearing production dates as recently as July 23, 2026.
“Packaging materials dated July 23, 2026, were evacuated. That was four days ago. These manufacturers were producing banned products this very month, just last week, even after the ban had taken full effect and after NAFDAC had already engaged them. This is not a misunderstanding. This is deliberate, calculated defiance of federal regulation,” she said.
Adeyeye further alleged that some manufacturers had relocated their production machines to unregistered premises to evade regulatory authorities, while others removed their company signboards to conceal their identities from enforcement officers.
She said one facility visited by the agency contained crates of finished alcoholic products alongside 100ml bottles positioned close to production machines, indicating that illegal production was ongoing.
The NAFDAC DG also revealed that some enforcement officers came under attack during the operation, with one officer nearly stabbed and another physically assaulted while carrying out official duties.
She described the attacks as criminal acts and warned that those responsible would be identified and prosecuted.
“An attack on a NAFDAC officer carrying out a lawful regulatory duty is an attack on the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is a criminal act. It will be investigated. It will be prosecuted,” she said.
Reaffirming the agency’s commitment to enforcing the ban, Adeyeye said the mop-up exercise would continue until all prohibited sachet alcohol and sub-200ml PET-bottle alcoholic drinks were removed from circulation.
She warned that factories found violating the directive would be shut down, while distributors and retailers handling the products would face sanctions.
While acknowledging that the ongoing ban may result in the black market distribution of the banned product, Adeyeye said the agency would continue to strengthen its monitoring and enforcement to curb illegal trade.
The NAFDAC boss urged Nigerians not to buy or sell the banned products and appealed to members of the public to report manufacturers, distributors, and retailers still involved in their production or sale.
The Federal Government’s prohibition of alcoholic beverages in sachets and PET bottles of 200ml and below followed recommendations by a high-powered committee comprising the Federal Ministry of Health, NAFDAC, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, and industry stakeholders.
The committee, constituted in 2018, had granted manufacturers a five-year moratorium to phase out the products by January 31, 2024.
However, the manufacturers had continued to insi@st that the ban would impact the local manufacturing sector and render thousands of workers jobless.
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