Enforcement officers from the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) intercepted and confiscated banned alcoholic beverages valued at approximately ₦300 million during coordinated, early-morning market raids across Lagos State on Saturday, October 3, 2026.
The weekend crackdown targeted small-volume, high-proof spirits packaged in flexible sachets and Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) bottles under 200 millilitres. The operation marks a major escalation in the regulatory body’s nationwide campaign to eliminate cheap, easily accessible alcohol formats from public circulation to curb youth substance abuse and protect public health.
Beginning at roughly 6:00 AM on Saturday, joint enforcement teams swept through three major commercial hubs: Ile-Epo Market along the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway in Alimosho, Ojuwoye Market in Mushin, and the Oke-Arin wholesale market on Lagos Island. Officers loaded multiple heavy-duty trucks with confiscated cartons of contraband spirits tucked away in hidden storage areas and retail stalls.
Several traders and distributors operating out of Ile-Epo Market were arrested during the exercise after attempting to resist the seizure or hide stock.
Speaking on the outcome of the raids, NAFDAC Resident Media Consultant Olusayo Akintola confirmed that the enforcement actions follow the expiration of deadlines granted to manufacturers to phase out small-format packaging.
”Our enforcement task force carried out simultaneous, intelligence-led raids across key distribution centers in Lagos State,” Akintola stated. “Preliminary investigations revealed that despite clear regulatory directives, certain distributors and retailers were deliberately hoarding and secretly trading these prohibited sachet and small PET-bottled drinks to capitalize on rising demand.”
Akintola emphasized that the ban on sachet alcohol and sub-200 ml PET bottles remains active and strictly enforceable across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
”The agency’s position has not shifted,” Akintola added. “Small-format alcohol packaging poses a direct threat to public safety, particularly among minors and commercial drivers. We are extending our monitoring and enforcement operations to motor parks, neighborhood bars, and regional distribution warehouses.
Anyone caught manufacturing, storing, or selling these banned items will face prosecution, and all impounded goods will be destroyed.”
The seized items are currently held at NAFDAC’s central warehouse facility in Oshodi, pending formal forfeiture orders and public destruction ceremonies.
