The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has uncovered a residential building in Lagos where more than 100 sacks of empty alcoholic beverage bottles were allegedly stockpiled for suspected use in the production of counterfeit drinks.

The bottles were discovered at a property located at 322B Meiran Road, Agbado Oke-Odo, Lagos, during an operation by the agency’s Investigation and Enforcement Directorate.

NAFDAC said the bottles were destroyed to prevent them from being reused in the production of counterfeit alcoholic beverages.

An Assistant Director in the directorate, Kunle Ojo, disclosed the development in a video released by the agency on Friday, explaining that the operation followed credible intelligence about activities at the location.

According to Ojo, the building was situated in a secluded residential area where different materials, including empty alcoholic beverage bottles covered with tarpaulins, were being stored.

The recovered bottles reportedly came in different sizes and included containers bearing labels associated with several alcoholic beverage brands, including Action Bitter and Royal Circle Premium Whiskey.

Ojo said investigators suspected that the bottles were being accumulated for onward distribution to individuals involved in the production of counterfeit alcoholic drinks.

He explained that the suspected practice involved supplying empty branded bottles to counterfeiters for reuse in packaging other products presented as genuine alcoholic beverages.

The discovery has raised concerns about the potential public health risks associated with counterfeit alcohol, which may be packaged in containers bearing the names and labels of established brands, making it difficult for consumers to distinguish genuine products from fake ones.

NAFDAC condemned the use of a residential property for the suspected activity, stressing that the operation was part of its efforts to protect public health and curb the production and distribution of counterfeit products.

The agency urged Nigerians to report suspicious activities in their neighbourhoods to the nearest NAFDAC office, noting that information from residents could help enforcement officers identify and disrupt suspected counterfeiting operations.

Twenty-five state houses of assembly have endorsed the proposed constitutional amendment seeking to establish state police.

The endorsement, based on a compilation of legislative decisions across 25 states, is a significant step toward decentralising policing powers currently vested in the federal government.

Section 9(2) of the 1999 constitution stipulates that a constitutional amendment must secure the support of at least a two-thirds majority of members of each chamber of the national assembly and be approved by resolutions of the houses of assembly of not fewer than two-thirds of 36 states.

The senate and the house of representatives passed the proposed amendment in June and July, respectively, before Kamoru Ogunlana, clerk to the national assembly, transmitted the bill to the state legislatures for consideration.

The states that have endorsed the proposal are Ogun, Delta, Plateau, Kwara, Adamawa, Edo, Osun, Oyo, Rivers, Zamfara, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Taraba, Yobe and Kebbi.

The endorsements exceed the constitutional threshold of 24 states required to alter the constitution under section 9(2).

Under the current constitutional framework, the Nigeria Police Force operates as a federal institution, with policing placed under the exclusive legislative list.

The proposed amendment seeks to move policing from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent legislative list, enabling both the national assembly and state houses of assembly to legislate on policing and related security matters.

The proposal is designed to establish a dual policing framework in which federal and state police formations operate within their respective jurisdictions.

It provides that the Nigeria Police Force would continue to discharge policing functions in any state until a state police formation becomes operational.

Even after a state force commences operations, the federal police would retain responsibility for federal policing duties and could assist state police in accordance with the law.

The proposed framework contains provisions to limit federal police interference in the operations and internal security affairs of state police formations, except under specified circumstances.

These include a complete breakdown of law and order beyond the capacity of a state police force, a state governor’s request for federal intervention, or circumstances in which a state police formation becomes unable to function because of administrative, financial, or other challenges.

The provisions are intended to delineate the operational responsibilities of the two tiers of policing while preserving the federal police’s capacity to intervene in exceptional situations.

Following the endorsement by 25 states, the national assembly is expected to complete the necessary legislative processes and transmit the proposed constitutional alteration to President Bola Tinubu for assent, in accordance with the applicable constitutional procedure.

Meanwhile, the presidential working group on police reform said it will soon transmit the national policing bill to the national assembly.

Three construction workers were rescued alive while one person was recovered dead after a two-storey building under construction collapsed at Akinola Street, near Fadeyi Bus Stop, off Ikorodu Road, Lagos, in the early hours of Friday.

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) said search and rescue operations were ongoing to determine whether more workers remained trapped beneath the rubble.

The collapse occurred shortly after midnight, prompting an emergency response following a distress call received by the agency at 12:10am. LASEMA’s Cobra Response Team, deployed from its Onipanu Base, arrived at the scene two minutes later and discovered that the building had caved in, with construction workers suspected to be trapped beneath the debris.

Rescue efforts intensified after responders heard groaning sounds from beneath the collapsed structure, suggesting that some victims were still alive.
The agency deployed an excavator to assist the search and rescue operation, taking safety precautions to protect both the victims and emergency personnel.

As of 3:33am, three adult men had been pulled out alive, while the body of another adult male had been recovered from the debris.
The rescued men received immediate pre-hospital treatment from LASEMA’s paramedics and the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) before being transferred to a hospital for further medical attention.

LASEMA said the cause of the collapse had yet to be established and would be investigated by the relevant regulatory authorities.
The operation was coordinated by the agency’s Director of Operations, Engr Akintunde Akinsanya and the Head of Cappa Base, Engr Olayinka Salami, who were at the scene to supervise the response.

Other agencies involved in the rescue included the LASEMA Response Team, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, LASAMBUS and officers of the Nigeria Police Force from Alagbon Division.

The Lagos State Government commiserated with the family of the deceased and wished the survivors a speedy recovery. It also reiterated its commitment to tackling substandard construction and strengthening building monitoring and enforcement in collaboration with the Lagos State Building Control Agency.