The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has shut down 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 small PET bottles.
The agency disclosed this in a statement, noting that the enforcement operation was led by the Assistant Director of its Investigation and Enforcement Directorate, Kunke Ojo.
According to NAFDAC, officials uncovered multiple regulatory violations during inspections of the affected factories.
The agency said the first facility was inspected last Friday, where officials found sachet alcohol still in active production alongside large quantities of PET bottles.
Although the factory was initially placed under regulatory hold, NAFDAC said a follow-up inspection revealed that the sachet alcoholic products had been secretly removed from the premises.
The agency described the action as a serious breach, noting that the products had already been placed under enforcement restrictions.
At the second factory, whose identity was withheld, NAFDAC said its enforcement team caught the company allegedly continuing the production of sachet alcoholic beverages despite the nationwide ban.
The premises were immediately sealed.
NAFDAC also revealed that it had previously inspected the third company in January, during which 22 production machines were placed on hold and millions of PET bottles and sachet packaging materials were confiscated for destruction.
However, during the latest inspection, officials allegedly discovered that the company had broken the agency’s seals and resumed production using the restricted machines.
The agency said millions of additional PET bottles were found on the premises, prompting the immediate sealing of the factory.
Reaffirming its commitment to enforcing the ban, NAFDAC said it maintains a zero-tolerance policy against regulatory violations.
“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,” the agency stated.
NAFDAC also urged consumers to remain vigilant and report the illegal production or sale of banned sachet alcoholic beverages to the nearest NAFDAC office.
