Officers from the Ojo Division of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested two suspects, Magnus Nwonka, 42, and Imo Lawrence, 35, for being in possession of fake drinks, News About Nigeria reports.
The arrest was disclosed by the command’s Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, in a video shared on his X handle on Wednesday.
The video footage showed crates of drinks, bags of sachet water, buckets, and other items in a dirty environment.
Hundeyin stated, “Officers of Ojo Division today arrested the duo of Imo Lawrence ‘m’ aged 35 and Magnus Nwonka ‘m’ aged 42 in possession of fake drinks. In the course of investigation, the suspects led detectives to their inconspicuous, multi-room ‘factory.’ Investigation is ongoing.”
This development follows recent efforts to stop the manufacture and sale of counterfeit drinks by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
NAFDAC recently intercepted counterfeiters involved in the production of various fake beverages, including wines and soft drinks, estimated at over N750,000,000 in the Eziukwu market in Aba, Abia state.
News About Nigeria reported that the NAFDAC DG, Moji Adeyeye, said that over 50% of Nigerians are illiterate, which makes it difficult for them to use technology to recognise fake goods.
She added that some educated Nigerians do not read product labels, which adds to the availability of counterfeit goods in the market.
She explained, “All these things are tied to poverty, illiteracy and the economy. About 50% of Nigerians are illiterate. For someone that didn’t go to school, how can they do what we are asking them to do? Even those of us who went to school don’t read labels in the market.”
