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KEY POINTS

• NAFDAC and Ogun Police have launched a wider enforcement campaign against sachet and PET-bottled alcohol below 200ml.
• The operation began in Abeokuta and is being extended to other parts of Ogun State until compliance is achieved.
• Manufacturers, sellers and distributors have been urged to comply, while authorities will act against unregistered, fake, adulterated and illegally distributed products.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has stepped up enforcement against the sale and distribution of alcoholic drinks packaged in sachets and PET bottles below 200ml (20cl) in Ogun State.

The agency is working with the Ogun State Police Command to ensure compliance with regulations governing alcoholic beverages and to remove prohibited products from circulation.

The latest enforcement drive is part of broader efforts to protect public health and address concerns surrounding the easy availability of cheap and highly portable alcoholic drinks, particularly among children and young people.

The Police Public Relations Officer of the Ogun State Command, Eleweran, Abeokuta, Deputy Superintendent of Police Oluseyi Babaseyi, disclosed the development in a post on the command’s X handle on Friday.

According to him, the State Coordinator of NAFDAC Ogun Office 1, Akinwale Fagoroye, led a delegation to the headquarters of the Ogun State Police Command in Eleweran, Abeokuta, where they met with the Commissioner of Police, Bode Ojajuni.

Fagoroye explained that the enforcement exercise had already commenced in Abeokuta and would subsequently be extended to other parts of the state.

He stressed that the operation would continue until the required level of compliance was achieved.

The enforcement specifically covers alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets and PET bottles with capacities below 200ml, which the agency is seeking to remove from the market.

NAFDAC Warns Manufacturers, Distributors and Sellers

NAFDAC urged manufacturers, importers, distributors, wholesalers and retailers to comply with the regulatory directive and cooperate with its enforcement personnel.

Consumers were also encouraged to avoid purchasing prohibited products and to support efforts aimed at ensuring that only approved and properly regulated alcoholic beverages remain in circulation.

As part of the operation, NAFDAC enforcement teams are visiting markets, motor parks, retail shops, bars, warehouses, factories and other locations where regulated products are manufactured, stored, distributed or sold.

The agency has also reiterated its authority to take regulatory action against fake, unregistered, substandard, adulterated, expired or improperly labelled products.

Facilities operating without the necessary regulatory approvals may equally face enforcement action.

Responding to the development, the Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Bode Ojajuni, commended NAFDAC for its efforts to safeguard public health.

He assured the agency that the police command would continue to provide the necessary security support for lawful enforcement activities.

Ojajuni said the police and NAFDAC would operate within their respective mandates to ensure that businesses and individuals comply with relevant laws and that residents are protected from products and activities capable of endangering their health and safety.

The police command is also enforcing the Liquor Act and other applicable legislation regulating the sale and distribution of alcoholic beverages within the state.