NAFDAC Uncovers Fake Drinks Factory in Lagos, Arrests 2 Men

(NAFDAC Team Uncovering Fake Drinks. Photo by Vanguard News)

Officers from the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control raided a two storey building at Zamfara Plaza in the BBA Trade Fair Complex, along the Badagry Expressway in Ojo, Lagos.

They found equipment used to repack and make fake alcoholic and energy drinks.

Two men, Chibuzor Okafor and William John, were arrested.

Officers found drums, filters, packaging materials, a heating device and other tools at the site.

The raid followed tip offs and surveillance on the market.

Kunle Ojo, assistant director of the agency's enforcement unit, said the team caught some men in the act.

He said NAFDAC is stepping up checks ahead of the festive season, when demand for drinks rises.

He warned that fake drinks put lives at risk.

The agency plans to trace where the products and raw materials came from and who is behind the operation.

Okafor told reporters he sells drinks in the market and only changes the bottles.

He said the drink inside was fine and the old bottles were damaged.

NAFDAC says repacking drinks under known brand labels without quality checks is dangerous.

The seized goods will be moved to NAFDAC's warehouse and destroyed.

The agency is asking people to report suspected fake products directly to it instead of posting claims online.

It also promised to protect the identity of anyone who gives information.