The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has sealed three alcohol manufacturing companies in Ota, Ogun State, for allegedly violating the Federal Government’s ban on the production of alcoholic beverages in sachets and PET bottles.
The enforcement operation was led by the Assistant Director of NAFDAC’s Investigation and Enforcement Directorate, Kunle Ojo, as part of the agency’s ongoing crackdown on the production of prohibited alcoholic drinks.
According to NAFDAC, officials uncovered several regulatory violations during inspections of the affected factories.
At the first factory, inspectors reportedly found sachet alcoholic drinks still being produced alongside large quantities of PET bottles. The agency said the facility was initially placed under enforcement, but during a follow-up visit, officials discovered that the banned products had been secretly removed from the premises.
“The factory was initially put on hold. However, during a follow-up visit, officials discovered that the sachet products had been secretly removed from the premises. NAFDAC has flagged this as a serious violation, as the products were already under regulatory enforcement,” the agency stated.
At the second company, NAFDAC said its enforcement team allegedly caught the manufacturer continuing to produce sachet alcoholic beverages despite the nationwide ban.
The agency also revealed that it had earlier inspected the third company in January, placing 22 production machines under seal and confiscating millions of PET bottles and sachet packaging materials for destruction.
However, during the latest inspection, officials allegedly found that the company had broken the seals placed on the machines and resumed production.
“Millions of additional PET bottles were found on-site, leading to the immediate sealing of the factory,” NAFDAC said.
Reaffirming its commitment to enforcing regulatory standards, the agency warned that it would not tolerate attempts to evade compliance.
“This enforcement exercise is part of our strict commitment to ensuring full compliance with the nationwide ban and protecting public health by removing prohibited alcoholic products from the market,” NAFDAC stated.
The agency also urged members of the public to remain vigilant and report the illegal production or sale of banned sachet alcoholic beverages to the nearest NAFDAC office.
