The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has commenced a nationwide enforcement exercise against the production and sale of alcoholic beverages in sachets and PET bottles below 200ml.
The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, disclosed this on Tuesday during a press briefing in Abuja.
She said the operation followed widespread violations of the Federal Government’s ban on the products, which she described as a public health intervention to protect children, adolescents and other vulnerable groups from alcohol abuse.
She was he reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to ensuring full compliance with the regulation.
According to Adeyeye, the enforcement is being carried out in line with Senate resolutions directing NAFDAC to implement the ban without further extensions and intensify public awareness campaigns in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, National Orientation Agency (NOA), and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC).
She said the ban followed years of consultations with stakeholders and several moratoriums granted to manufacturers before the commencement of full enforcement.
The NAFDAC boss said recent enforcement operations conducted in Lagos, Ogun and other states exposed continued violations, with some manufacturers allegedly producing banned alcoholic products despite the directive.
She revealed that some of the affected products had packaging materials with production dates as recent as July 2026, suggesting ongoing manufacturing activities after the ban took effect.
Adeyeye also said the agency uncovered attempts by some operators to evade regulatory checks by moving production equipment to unregistered facilities and removing company signboards to conceal illegal operations.
She described the actions as deliberate breaches of government directives, warning that affected facilities would be shut down and sanctioned according to the law.
“NAFDAC teams discovered that some manufacturers were still producing banned products, with packaging materials bearing production dates as recent as July 2026,” Adeyeye said.
She added that the agency would not tolerate efforts to undermine the enforcement process.
“Those involved in such deliberate violations of Federal Government directives will face the full weight of the law,” she said.
The Director-General also condemned attacks on NAFDAC officials during the enforcement operations, describing the incidents as criminal acts against public officers carrying out lawful duties.
She disclosed that one officer was nearly stabbed while another was physically assaulted during the exercise, assuring that those responsible would be investigated and prosecuted.
Adeyeye maintained that intimidation would not stop the agency from carrying out its mandate of protecting public health.
“The ban on sachet alcohol and alcoholic beverages packaged in PET bottles below 200ml remains fully in force and is not subject to negotiation,” she said.
She urged manufacturers, distributors, retailers and members of the public to comply with the regulation and report any continued production or sale of the prohibited products to NAFDAC.
