Some of the bottles. Photo: Screenshot from NAFDAC video.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has uncovered a residential building in Lagos where empty bottles of alcoholic beverages were stored for suspected use in producing counterfeit drinks.
The agency said its Investigation and Enforcement Directorate discovered more than 100 sacks of empty bottles at the building located at 322B Meiran Road, Agbado Oke-Odo, Lagos.
The bottles were destroyed to prevent their reuse in the production of counterfeit alcoholic beverages, according to a statement by NAFDAC.
Speaking in a video released by the agency 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 various materials were stored.
“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 included different sizes and brands of alcoholic beverages, adding that they were suspected to be intended for supply to counterfeiters.
“We have bottles of different sizes, 750cl and all the rest. We have Action Bitter, we have different kinds,” Ojo said.
He also identified bottles bearing labels associated with other alcoholic beverages, including Royal Circle Premium Whiskey.
According to him, the bottles were allegedly being stockpiled for distribution to people involved in counterfeiting 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.
Ojo condemned the use of residential buildings for such activities, saying the agency was working to protect public health.
“This is a residential area, and this is not acceptable to government. We are here to safeguard the health of the nation,” he said.
He urged Nigerians to report suspicious activities in their neighbourhoods to the nearest NAFDAC office to help the agency tackle 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,” Ojo added.