The Lagos State Police Command on Wednesday says it has uncovered an illegal brewery at Egbe-Afa in Igbogbo, Ikorodu, Lagos state, while five suspects have been arrested.
Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Edgal Imohimi, revealed that the illegal brewery was producing malt drinks, stout and ethanol which they pumped into trucks to bottle at another location.
Mr Imohimi said that the suspects would be subjected to further interrogation to know where the drinks were bottled and sold.
The illegal brewery has more than 1,000 drums of brewed malt and 100 tanks where the drinks are pumped before supplying tankers. A building where operational items of the suspects were kept was also located close to the illegal brewery.
Edgal said samples of the drinks would be sent to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and DNA laboratory for analysis.
He said: “Right here we have an illegal distillery where stout, malt and ethanol are produced. These drinks are produced in very unhygienic conditions.
“The important lesson here is that we must be vigilant. You will recall that we recently paraded an elderly man who was selling all sorts of adulterated drinks in Mushin. I had called on Lagosians to be vigilant and pass information to their local police promptly, to ensure we identify places like these and destroy them.
“The truth is that Lagosians can only be productive if they are healthy. Most people who drink these things that are produced in unhygienic conditions, without NAFDAC certification get ill.
“Those producing it are not qualified to do so and so, they are generally giving residents poison to drink. More worrisome is that they package them as if they were produced by reputable brands in beverages. There is need for additional vigilance.
“We are going to take samples of each of the drinks being concocted here and send to NAFDAC and DNA laboratory at Lagos Island for analysis. The place has been sealed and no further activities would be carried out here.
“Furthermore, the five suspects arrested would be investigated. Our preliminary findings revealed that the drinks are not being bottled here. Trucks usually come here, load and take them to another location where they are packaged.
“So, we want to extend our investigation and discover those areas so that we round up all those behind it. For that reason, the suspects would not be available for interview and their identities would not be disclosed.”
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