NAFDAC officials ‘att∆cked’ during crackdown on banned sachet alcohol in Lagos

NAFDAC officials ‘attacked’ during crackdown on banned sachet alcohol in Lagos

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says one of its officials enforcing the shutdown of facilities producing banned alcoholic beverages in sachets and miniature PET bottles was attacked and stabbed in Lagos.

Addressing journalists in Lagos on Tuesday, Mojisola Adeyeye, NAFDAC director-general, said the official narrowly escaped death after the attacker drew a weapon during the enforcement exercise.

She added that another official was physically assaulted, describing the attacks as criminal acts directed against the Nigerian state.

She vowed that everyone responsible for assaulting or obstructing enforcement officials would be investigated and prosecuted.

According to her, the violent attacks would not deter the agency from enforcing the federal government’s regulations.

She said there was a coordinated attempt by some manufacturers to undermine the federal government’s regulations.

Adeyeye reaffirmed that the nationwide mop-up operation would continue until banned sachet alcohol and alcoholic beverages packaged in containers below 200ml are removed from the market.

She noted that enforcement teams found compelling evidence that banned products were being manufactured after the prohibition took effect.

She said NAFDAC officials recovered prohibited 100ml PET bottles and sachet packaging materials carrying production dates as recently as July 23, describing them as evidence of deliberate violations of existing regulations rather than residual stocks produced before enforcement began.

According to Adeyeye, intelligence gathered during the operations revealed that several companies dismantled production lines at registered factories and secretly relocated them to unregistered locations.

The NAFDAC DG said the concealed facilities enabled manufacturers to continue producing banned alcoholic beverages beyond the reach of routine regulatory inspections.

She described the clandestine operations as a calculated effort to undermine the agency’s regulatory oversight while sustaining supplies of prohibited products.

BACKGROUND

In January, NAFDAC said its enforcement of the ban on alcoholic beverages in sachets and small plastic or glass bottles was aimed at protecting children and young people, not punishing manufacturers.

The NAFDAC DG said in a statement that the policy was driven by public health concerns and growing evidence that alcohol packaged in sachets and containers below 200 millilitres has contributed to underage drinking across the country.

Last Wednesday, NAFDAC commenced a nationwide mop-up operation to remove alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets and PET bottles below 200ml from circulation.

On Tuesday, July 28, the agency shut down three alcohol manufacturing companies in Ota, Ogun state, for violating the federal government’s ban on production of alcoholic beverages in sachets and miniature PET bottles.