The NSCDC illegal juice factory raid in Badagry has raised fresh food-safety concerns after officers arrested two women, seized production materials and rescued two teenagers allegedly working at the facility.
LAGOS, NIGERIA — The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Lagos State Command, has uncovered an alleged illegal juice production facility in Aradagun, Badagry, where officers said adulterated Barkas Juice was being produced and distributed to markets.
The operation on Monday, September 21, led to the arrest of two women aged 48 and 50, while two juveniles, aged 15 and 16, were rescued from the facility. The NSCDC said the factory was operating without the required authorisation.
The raid followed about five days of surveillance by NSCDC operatives working with a Nigerian Army formation in the area. Officers found cartons of already packaged juice, some of which the Corps said were being prepared for distribution to markets in Lagos, Benin City and other areas.
Newstridez reviewed the accounts from the NSCDC and reports by Nigerian newspapers and found that the main concerns raised by authorities are the alleged lack of proper registration, the conditions under which the juice was produced and the use of teenagers at the facility. The allegations remain subject to investigation.
According to the NSCDC, officers recovered industrial sugar, untreated water, synthetic adhesives, dyes, chemical colourants, drums, production machinery, a gas cylinder, a truck and cartons of the packaged juice.
The Corps said preliminary findings showed the product contained high levels of sugar, water, colourants, dyes and additives, with no real fruit used in the production process.
The agency also alleged that the product was being marketed with NAFDAC registration number 01-2166L, which it suspected was fake.
The NSCDC said the facility was operating in an unhygienic environment and ordered its immediate closure while investigations continue.
One of the arrested women reportedly told investigators that the business was started by her grandmother as a water-production venture before it was expanded into juice production.
She reportedly said she inherited the business about 20 years ago.
Another account of the interrogation said the suspect claimed the operation had been working towards renewing its NAFDAC registration and produced juice only a few times a year based on customer orders. Those claims have not been independently verified.
The NSCDC said officers also found two juveniles aged 15 and 16 at the facility.
The teenagers were reportedly engaged in activities at the premises, prompting the Corps to remove them from the site.
The NSCDC described the discovery as part of the wider concerns arising from the operation, particularly around unauthorised labour and the conditions in which the alleged production was taking place.
Checks by Newstridez showed that the two teenagers are among the youngest people identified in connection with the operation, while the two adult women remain the principal suspects publicly identified by the NSCDC.
Their names have not been released.
The Corps said investigations would continue before the suspects are charged before a court of competent jurisdiction.
The development has also drawn attention to Nigeria’s regulations covering fruit juice and similar products.
NAFDAC‘s Fruit Juice and Nectar Regulations 2019 state that fruit juice and nectar products manufactured, imported, sold or distributed in Nigeria must be registered with the agency. The regulations also set requirements for composition, approved additives, contaminants and labelling.
The regulations further require the percentage of fruit content to be declared on the product’s ingredients list.
NAFDAC’s soft-drinks regulations also restrict the use of terms such as “fruit juice” and “fruit drink” depending on the actual fruit content of a product.
This means the allegation that a product was being sold with a false registration number, if established, would raise separate regulatory concerns from the conditions in which the beverage was allegedly manufactured.
Data reviewed by Newstridez indicates that the NSCDC has not yet announced the results of laboratory testing on the seized Barkas Juice. The agency said it would work with NAFDAC on laboratory testing, assessment of the facility and further regulatory action.
That testing will be important in determining exactly what was contained in the seized product and whether it breached applicable food-safety standards.
The NSCDC said some packaged products had already been loaded into container vehicles when officers arrived.
The Corps alleged that the products were intended for markets in Lagos and other locations, including Benin City in Edo State.
The discovery has therefore raised questions beyond the Badagry facility because products already manufactured may have entered the supply chain before the raid.
Authorities have not publicly provided a complete list of retailers or markets that may have received the product.
They have also not announced a nationwide recall of Barkas Juice based on the operation.
For now, the investigation is focused on the facility, the people connected to it and the products recovered there.
Lagos State NSCDC Commandant Adedotun Keshinro said the command would maintain action against activities that threaten public health and safety.
He ordered the closure of the facility and directed further investigation into the operation.
The Corps said the arrested suspects would face prosecution after investigations are concluded.
The NSCDC also said it had contacted relevant regulatory authorities, including NAFDAC, to assist with testing and determining the appropriate regulatory response.
A source of the operation’s details told Newstridez that the case involves several issues that must now be established separately — whether the factory was properly registered, whether the NAFDAC number was genuine, what was actually contained in the juice and how the teenagers came to be working at the facility.
Those questions will ultimately depend on the outcome of the investigation and any laboratory or regulatory findings.
The case also comes amid wider concerns in Nigeria over counterfeit and substandard consumer products, including food, medicines and cosmetics.
For consumers, the incident is another reminder to check product labels, registration details, packaging and the condition of products before buying them. But the specific health risks associated with the seized Barkas Juice should not be treated as established until laboratory findings are released.
As at the time of filing this report, the NSCDC illegal juice factory uncovered in Badagry had been shut down, two women were in custody and two teenagers had been rescued.
The NSCDC said investigations were continuing, with NAFDAC expected to assist in testing the seized products and determining further regulatory action. The suspects remain entitled to due process as the authorities establish the facts surrounding the alleged illegal production and distribution.
NSCDC bursted a fake drink factory in Lagos pic.twitter.com/2u4etMHc5N
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