BANNED SACHET ALCOHOL DRINKS: NAFDAC Seals Three Factories In Ogun State

BANNED SACHET ALCOHOL DRINKS: NAFDAC Seals Three Factories In Ogun State

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has sealed three factories in Ogun State over the production of banned sachet alcoholic drinks and alcoholic beverages packaged in PET bottles below 200ml.

The enforcement action was disclosed on Monday by Mr Kunle Ojo, Assistant Director in NAFDAC’s Investigation and Enforcement Directorate, during an inspection of affected facilities in the Sango-Ota and Idi-Iroko axis of Ogun State.

Recall that in January, NAFDAC commenced enforcement of the ban on the production and sale of alcohol in sachets and PET bottles below 200ml.

What they are saying

Ojo said the factories sealed were Intercontinental Distilleries Ltd., Shashi Distillery Ltd., and an undisclosed factory belonging to Nigeria Distillery Ltd., which was uncovered during the agency’s second phase of nationwide enforcement of the ban.

According to him, NAFDAC officials initially visited Nigeria Distillery Ltd. along Kilometre 14, Idi-Iroko Road without finding any prohibited products but later acted on intelligence received on July 24 that led them to the company’s undisclosed production facility.

• “We discovered uncountable 100ml alcoholic bottles, packaging materials for sachets and already producing sachet alcohol still on production machines at the facility.”

Ojo added that after the factory was sealed, officials returned to discover that some of the seized items had disappeared, a development he described as a serious administrative violation.

He further said NAFDAC had earlier visited Intercontinental Distilleries and Shashi Distillery in January, halted 22 machines used to produce sachet alcoholic drinks, and evacuated packaging materials for alcohol beverages below 200ml. However, another inspection on July 24 revealed old packaging materials and renewed production of the prohibited products.

• “This is exactly why we decided to close down the entire factory because what NAFDAC said they should not produce, they are secretly producing.”

Ojo said the agency would sustain its nationwide enforcement exercise to rid the market of banned alcoholic products and urged Nigerians to report suspected illegal production to the nearest NAFDAC office.

Get up to speed

The Federal Government’s restriction on sachet alcohol and alcoholic drinks packaged in PET bottles below 200ml dates back to an agreement reached in December 2018, when the then Minister of Health granted manufacturers a five-year transition period ending on January 31, 2024, to phase out the affected products.

Following the expiration of that transition period, NAFDAC commenced enforcement of the ban in January 2026 after years of stakeholder engagements.

The agency had also announced on November 11, 2025, that it would fully enforce the prohibition following a directive from the Senate, warning manufacturers and distributors to comply with the regulations.

What you should know

NAFDAC said the ban was introduced as part of efforts to curb the widespread consumption of cheap alcoholic drinks, particularly among underage persons, and to reduce alcohol abuse and its associated public health risks.

However, the policy has faced strong opposition from the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), which warned that strict enforcement could wipe out about N1.9 trillion in investments.

The association also estimated the policy could result in the direct loss of more than 500,000 jobs, with an additional five million indirect jobs at risk across the value chain.