The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has reaffirmed its commitment to the full enforcement of the Federal Government’s ban on alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles below 200 millilitres, following the discovery of widespread violations during a nationwide mop-up operation.

Speaking at a press briefing, the Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, described the enforcement as a critical public health intervention designed to protect children, adolescents and other vulnerable groups from the harmful effects of alcohol abuse.
She said the agency would no longer tolerate violations of the ban, stressing that the enforcement exercise is in line with Senate resolutions directing NAFDAC to implement the policy without any further extension.

According to Adeyeye, the agency is also working with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the National Orientation Agency (NOA), and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to intensify public sensitisation on the ban and its public health implications.
She explained that the prohibition followed years of consultations with industry stakeholders and several moratoriums granted to manufacturers to phase out the affected products.

The NAFDAC boss noted that the agency had adequately informed manufacturers and other stakeholders of the commencement of full enforcement through a nationwide awareness campaign launched earlier this year, adding that there was no justification for continued non-compliance.

Providing an update on recent enforcement operations, Adeyeye disclosed that raids conducted across Lagos, Ogun and several other states uncovered widespread violations of the regulation.

She said enforcement teams discovered that some manufacturers were still producing alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets and PET bottles below 200ml despite the ban. According to her, some of the seized packaging materials bore production dates as recent as July 2026, indicating that illegal production was still ongoing.

The Director-General further revealed that some operators had adopted deceptive measures to evade regulatory oversight. These included relocating production equipment to unregistered facilities and removing company signboards in a bid to conceal illegal manufacturing activities from enforcement officials.

Describing the actions as deliberate violations of Federal Government directives, Adeyeye warned that all offending factories would be shut down and sanctioned in accordance with the provisions of the law.

She also condemned attacks on NAFDAC enforcement officers during the nationwide operation, describing the assaults as criminal acts against public officers carrying out lawful duties.

Adeyeye disclosed that one enforcement officer was nearly stabbed while another sustained physical injuries after being assaulted during separate enforcement activities.

She assured Nigerians that everyone involved in the attacks would be investigated and prosecuted, stressing that threats, intimidation or violence would not deter the agency from carrying out its statutory mandate of protecting public health.

Reiterating the agency’s position, the Director-General said the ban on sachet alcohol and alcoholic beverages packaged in PET bottles below 200ml remains fully in force and is not open to negotiation.

She urged manufacturers, distributors, retailers and members of the public to comply with the regulation and report any continued production, distribution or sale of banned alcoholic products to NAFDAC.

Adeyeye added that the agency would sustain its nationwide mop-up operations until all prohibited products are completely removed from circulation, reaffirming NAFDAC’s commitment to safeguarding the health and wellbeing of Nigerians, particularly children and young people.