The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has uncovered a building in Lagos where more than 100 sacks of empty alcoholic beverage bottles were allegedly stockpiled for suspected use in producing counterfeit drinks.
The bottles were discovered at a building on 322B Meiran Road, Agbado Oke-Odo, during an operation by NAFDAC’s Investigation and Enforcement Directorate.
The agency said the bottles were destroyed to prevent them from being reused in the production of fake alcoholic beverages.
Speaking in a video released by NAFDAC on Friday, an assistant director in its Investigation and Enforcement Directorate, Kunle Ojo, said the operation followed credible intelligence about activities at the location.
Ojo said the building was situated in a secluded residential area, where different types of empty bottles were stored under tarpaulins.
“On arriving, we saw different kinds of bottles stacked in this place. These are bottles covered with tarpaulins,” he said.
He explained that the bottles came in different sizes and bore labels associated with various alcoholic beverage brands, including Action Bitter and Royal Circle Premium Whiskey.
According to Ojo, the agency suspected that the bottles were being stockpiled for distribution to individuals involved in the production of counterfeit alcoholic drinks.
“What these people are planning to do, or what they do here, is to watch the bottle supply to different suspected counterfeiters to be used for another production,” he said.
The official condemned the use of residential properties for such activities, warning that the suspected practice could pose a risk to public health.
“This is a residential area, and this is not acceptable to government. We are here to safeguard the health of the nation,” Ojo said.
NAFDAC urged residents to report suspicious activities in their neighbourhoods to the nearest agency office to help identify and disrupt the production and distribution of counterfeit products.
“We are calling on all women in Nigeria, please, when you see something taking place in your area, kindly notify the nearest NAFDAC office, so that we can stop this menace, so that we can save our country from all these counterfeiters,” he added.
The agency’s statement did not disclose whether any suspects had been arrested or identify the owner or occupants of the building. It also did not establish whether counterfeit drinks had already been produced or distributed using the bottles.
The discovery raises concerns about the possible reuse of branded alcohol bottles in counterfeit production, although the investigation details released by NAFDAC did not establish that the bottles had already been used for that purpose.
