The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has uncovered fresh illegal production of banned sachet alcohol and alcoholic beverages packaged in PET bottles below 200ml, warning that manufacturers, distributors and retailers flouting the Federal Government’s directive will face severe sanctions.
Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, disclosed the findings during a media briefing in Lagos, revealing that enforcement teams discovered concealed production facilities where manufacturers had continued producing the prohibited products despite the nationwide ban.
According to Adeyeye, investigators recovered banned 100ml PET bottles and rolls of sachet packaging materials bearing production dates as recent as July 23, 2026, confirming that illegal production continued well after the enforcement deadline.
“What we found at the manufacturing level speaks to the depth of defiance we are dealing with,” she said. “These were not leftover products. Manufacturers were actively producing banned alcohol this month despite repeated engagements with the agency. This is deliberate, calculated defiance of Federal Government regulations.”
She alleged that some companies dismantled production lines from registered factories and secretly relocated them to unregistered facilities to evade regulators. Others reportedly removed company signboards and nameplates to conceal their identities during enforcement operations.
Adeyeye also disclosed that NAFDAC officials were attacked while carrying out raids. One enforcement officer narrowly escaped being stabbed after a weapon was drawn against him, while another was assaulted during the operation.
“An attack on a NAFDAC officer carrying out lawful duty is an attack on the Federal Republic of Nigeria. These criminal acts will be investigated and prosecuted,” she warned.
The NAFDAC boss stressed that the nationwide mop-up exercise would continue until all banned sachet alcohol and alcoholic beverages in PET bottles below 200ml are removed from circulation. She said factories caught producing the products would be shut down, while seized products would be destroyed. Distributors and retailers found handling the banned drinks will also face sanctions.
Adeyeye urged Nigerians to support the campaign by refusing to buy the prohibited products and reporting manufacturers, distributors and retailers violating the directive.
Defending the policy, she explained that the ban followed six years of consultations and extensions granted to manufacturers after an initial five-year transition period announced in 2018.
She emphasised that the policy is a public health intervention aimed at reducing underage drinking and protecting children from alcohol-related harm, rather than prohibiting alcohol consumption.
“We are not against alcohol. We are against easy access to alcohol by children,” she said. “When a child starts drinking alcohol at the age of five or nine, Nigeria’s future is at risk. A child’s liver is not that of an adult, and the health consequences can be lifelong.”
Citing evidence available to the agency, Adeyeye warned that alcohol consumption among Nigerian children is increasing, with some reportedly beginning to drink before the age of 10. She reaffirmed that safeguarding young people remains NAFDAC’s overriding priority.
“The protection of Nigerian children is not negotiable,” she declared. “NAFDAC will continue this enforcement until the last sachet of banned alcohol is removed from Nigerian streets.”
