The infamous Cemetery Market in Aba, Abia State, has once again come under intense scrutiny as the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) carried out a decisive raid, uncovering over 250 factories producing fake alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
This marks the second crackdown on the notorious market in just two years.
NAFDAC’s Director General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, hailed the operation as “the most decisive action in the history of the market” in a statement released on the 28th of January, 2025.
Codenamed Operation Clean Up Aba, the operation revealed and confiscated counterfeit food and beverages valued at over N5 billion. Prof. Adeyeye emphasized that this raid was a critical move to protect public health and put an end to the circulation of fake products in Nigeria.
The scale of the discovery was staggering, with over 240 makeshift factories found churning out counterfeit goods in appalling and unsanitary conditions. Shockingly, these operations relied on harmful chemicals, polluted water, and recycled bottles to produce fake versions of popular brands such as Hennessy, Seaman Schnapps, Coca-Cola, Sprite, Peak Milk, and Hollandia Yoghurt.
“These criminal elements use unhygienic sources of water, saccharin, colouring agents, and harmful chemicals unsuitable for human consumption. The adulteration of alcoholic beverages involves cheaper sugars and starches instead of fruits or grapes,” Adeyeye disclosed.
During the raid, more than 1,500 cartons of counterfeit products were destroyed on-site, with the total street value of seized and destroyed items estimated at a staggering N5 billion. Prof. Adeyeye reassured Nigerians of NAFDAC’s unwavering commitment: “We are determined to safeguard the health of the nation and rid markets of fake and substandard products.”
Recall that a similar operation was conducted in December 2024, targeting the same Cemetery Market in Aba, a hub that has become synonymous with counterfeit production.