National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has confiscated alcoholic beverages worth about ₦300 million during a major enforcement operation against the sale of banned sachet alcohol and small PET bottled drinks in Lagos State.
The agency said the operation targeted distributors and retailers who were allegedly selling alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets and PET bottles below 200 millilitres, despite an existing nationwide ban.
According to NAFDAC, enforcement teams raided Ile-Epo Market, where several distributors and retailers were arrested during the operation.
The agency also carried out similar raids at Ojuwoye Market in Mushin and Oke-Arin Market on Lagos Island.
Officials evacuated several cartons of the prohibited alcoholic products from the affected markets.
NAFDAC disclosed that preliminary investigations showed some distributors and retailers had been hoarding the banned products because of increasing demand and rising prices.
The agency warned that the prohibition on alcoholic drinks packaged in sachets and PET bottles below 200 mL remains fully in force.
It cautioned distributors, retailers and other operators against producing, selling, distributing or storing the prohibited products for commercial purposes.
NAFDAC stressed that the enforcement exercise is aimed at protecting public health and ensuring compliance with government regulations.
The agency noted that the crackdown forms part of its ongoing efforts to remove unsafe and prohibited products from Nigerian markets.
The restriction on sachet alcohol and small-volume PET bottles was introduced following concerns over alcohol abuse, particularly among young people, and to promote responsible alcohol consumption.
NAFDAC urged members of the public and market operators to comply with the directive and support efforts to safeguard public health across the country.