The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has uncovered banned sachet and bottled alcoholic beverages below 200ml during an enforcement operation at Oke-Arin Market on Lagos Island. 

Video from the operation shows stacks of cartons of the prohibited products stored in shops at the market.

The raid is part of the agency’s ongoing push to enforce the ban on alcohol sold in sachets and in PET or glass bottles below 200ml, which took full effect on January 1, 2026.

The prohibition followed a Senate directive and years of concern about the easy availability of cheap, high-strength spirits in small packs. NAFDAC says the measure is meant to curb underage drinking and alcohol abuse, citing survey data showing that more than half of minors were able to get alcohol on their own, with many buying sachet and small-bottle products.

Oke-Arin is not a first-time target. In early October, the agency seized banned alcoholic drinks estimated at N300 million in Lagos operations that covered Ile-Epo Market, Ojuwoye Market in Mushin and Oke-Arin Market. Officials said then that distributors and retailers were apprehended and that the ban remained in force.

NAFDAC has also ordered manufacturers to recall the affected products nationwide and has closed factories found to be violating the directive. Its inspectors later reported widespread non-compliance, including packaging materials with production dates as recent as July 2026.

The agency has maintained that the ban applies only to spirit drinks in sachets and in bottles below 200ml, and that it does not stop the production of alcoholic beverages in larger, approved packaging.

Teams have been deployed to markets, motor parks, bars and retail outlets to identify, seize and destroy the banned products, and members of the public are being urged to report anyone producing, stocking or selling them.

The repeated seizures have drawn a sceptical response from some Nigerians, who argue that the trade will continue unless offenders face stiffer punishment.