Operatives of the National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) apprehended three individuals following a raid on factories producing alcohol and beverages in Jos, the capital of Plateau State.
The Assistant Chief Regulatory Officer, Federal Taskforce, Investigation and Enforcement Directorate of NAFDAC, Umar Suleiman, who confirmed the arrest in Jos on Friday, said the arrest and sealing of their business places followed the expiration of the deadline earlier given by NAFDAC for the ban on the production of alcoholic drinks in sachets to become operational in the country.
Business places, including Bozak International Investment located along the Busa Buji community and Good Life Global Beverages located in the Farin-Gada community, were sealed.
According to Punch, Suleiman said the uncontrolled access and availability of high-concentration alcohol in sachets and small volume or glass bottles have been put forward as a factor contributing to substance and alcohol abuse in Nigeria with its negative impact on society.
The NAFDAC official said, “This activity NAFDAC is conducting is a nationwide operation because deadline has been given for producers of alcoholic beverages to phase out 100ml and those in sachets and the rest so that we reduce the menace of abuse of alcohol by the youth and the general public.
“The public alert was issued to all the producers since 2018 by the Director General of NAFDAC. So we have given enough time and of course, January 31, 2024 is the deadline and that is why we swung into action to enforce the ban.
“We have started with the producers now and later, we move to the people themselves so that we do justice to everybody. Producers are the ones producing these products and we have warned them severally and now, we are going round to see whether they are complying, but if they are not, then we take action.”
The NAFDAC official said the raid on business places to enforce compliance with the ban would be a continuous exercise.
Suleiman, who also warned the people against consuming products not registered by the agency added, “Some products have been registered but some are yet to do so. To the producers, we will continue to follow them to ensure they comply with the directive. Consumers should know that some of these products are not safe for consumption because some are just packaging concoctions and will be given to people in the name of alcohol.
“So, if you want to buy your product that is registered with NAFDAC, do your findings and make sure you buy a registered product. It is also within the rights of the people to know how these products are produced because if you know, then you have the right to seek help because you are the end-user”
NAFDAC in 2022, enforced the ban on the sale of substandard alcoholic products in sachets and PET bottles across the country following the recommendation of a high-powered committee of the Federal Ministry of Health, NAFDAC and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission and Industry in December 2018.
The Director-General of NAFDAC, Mojisola Adeyeye, stated that the agency would no longer register alcohol in sachets, small-volume PET and glass bottles below 200 millilitres.
