NAFDAC intensifies crackdown on banned sachet alcohol, seals three Ogun factories

By Adebola Isimijola, Lagos

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has intensified its nationwide enforcement against the production and sale of banned sachet alcohol and alcoholic beverages packaged in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles below 200 millilitres, sealing three factories in Ogun State for allegedly flouting the Federal Government’s directive.

The affected factories, located in the Sango-Ota and Idi-Iroko axis of Ogun State, were shut during the agency’s ongoing nationwide mop-up operation aimed at eliminating prohibited alcoholic products from the market and protecting public health.

Speaking with journalists after the enforcement exercise on Monday, NAFDAC’s Assistant Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Mr Kunle Ojo, said the affected companies were Intercontinental Distilleries Ltd., Shashi Distillery Ltd. and an undisclosed production facility linked to Nigeria Distillery Ltd.

Ojo said the hidden factory operated by Nigeria Distillery Ltd. was uncovered following intelligence received on July 24 after officials had earlier inspected the company’s registered premises along Kilometre 14, Idi-Iroko Road, where no banned products were found.

According to him, the raid uncovered large quantities of prohibited alcoholic beverages, including 100ml PET bottles, sachet packaging materials and machines actively producing the banned products.

“We discovered uncountable 100ml alcoholic bottles, packaging materials for sachets and already producing sachet alcohol still on production machines at the facility,” Ojo said.

He also alleged that some items discovered during the initial inspection had disappeared before officials returned to seal the factory.

“We also noticed today that after sealing the factory some of the items we found on Friday are missing. This is a serious violation and it will be dealt with administratively,” he added.

The enforcement chief recalled that NAFDAC had in January suspended 22 machines used for producing sachet alcohol at Intercontinental Distilleries Ltd. and Shashi Distillery Ltd. and evacuated prohibited packaging materials.

He, however, said officials who revisited the factories on July 24 found that the companies had resumed production in defiance of the agency’s directive.

“When we came in last week, we discovered old packaging materials and those machines we placed on hold were producing the banned products again.

“This is exactly why we decided to close down the entire factory because what NAFDAC said they should not produce, they are secretly producing,” Ojo stated.

In a statement signed on Tuesday, 28th July, 2026 by the Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, the agency said the nationwide enforcement followed widespread violations uncovered during recent operations across Lagos, Ogun and several other states.

Adeyeye said investigations revealed that some manufacturers were still producing banned alcoholic beverages, with packaging materials bearing production dates as recent as July 2026. She added that some operators attempted to evade regulatory oversight by relocating production equipment to unregistered facilities and removing company signboards to conceal illegal operations.

She described the violations as deliberate breaches of Federal Government directives and warned that all offending facilities would be shut down and sanctioned in accordance with the law.

The Director-General also condemned attacks on NAFDAC enforcement officers during the nationwide operation, revealing that one officer was nearly stabbed while another was physically assaulted while carrying out lawful duties.

According to her, the ban on sachet alcohol and alcoholic beverages packaged in PET bottles below 200ml remains a critical public health measure aimed at protecting children, adolescents and other vulnerable groups from the harmful effects of alcohol abuse.

“The ban on sachet alcohol and alcoholic beverages packaged in PET bottles below 200ml remains fully in force and is not subject to negotiation,” Adeyeye said.

She urged manufacturers, distributors, retailers and members of the public to comply with the regulation and report any continued production or sale of banned products, assuring that NAFDAC would sustain its nationwide enforcement until all prohibited alcoholic beverages are removed from circulation.