Markets across Nigeria are now the focus of a nationwide enforcement campaign by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control to remove alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets and polyethylene terephthalate bottles below 200 millilitres.
The exercise follows the Federal Government’s ban on the production, importation, distribution, sale and consumption of the prohibited alcoholic products.
In a statement posted on X on Wednesday, NAFDAC said enforcement teams have been deployed across the six geopolitical zones after sealing manufacturing facilities that failed to comply with the directive.
The agency said the crackdown is aimed at protecting public health, especially by curbing underage drinking, harmful alcohol use and substance abuse among young people.
NAFDAC has ordered manufacturers, importers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers and transporters to surrender all remaining stocks of the banned drinks.
It warned that anyone found in possession of or selling the products risks seizure of goods, regulatory sanctions and possible prosecution.
The regulator also appealed to Nigerians to support the exercise by avoiding the purchase of the prohibited beverages and reporting businesses or individuals involved in their production and distribution.
