NAFDAC Raids Lagos Trade Fair Den: Suspects Caught Rebranding Expired Energy Drinks and Wines

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Tuesday stormed a suspected counterfeit production facility at Zamfara Plaza inside the BBA Trade Fair Complex in Lagos State, arresting two suspects allegedly in the act of revalidating expired energy drinks and popular wine and whisky brands.

According to reports circulating from the scene, operatives from NAFDAC’s Investigation and Enforcement Directorate caught the pair removing original expired labels and replacing them with falsified date markings. The operation also targeted products including Bullet energy drink alongside various wines and whiskies that had long passed their safe consumption dates. The premises were sealed and the products confiscated as the suspects were taken into custody for further investigation.

This latest bust at the sprawling Trade Fair Complex — a major commercial hub along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway known for both legitimate trade and periodic regulatory crackdowns — underscores the persistent challenge of food and beverage fraud in Nigeria’s markets. Revalidation, the practice of altering expiry dates on expired or near-expired products to return them to shelves, poses serious public health risks. Consuming such items can lead to foodborne illnesses, toxic reactions from degraded ingredients, and long-term harm, particularly from alcoholic beverages that may have undergone chemical changes or contamination during improper storage.

The Trade Fair Complex has featured repeatedly in NAFDAC enforcement actions. In November 2024, the agency raided a similar illegal operation there, arresting individuals caught removing expired labels from alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and replacing them with fake ones. Newly printed labels, date-marking tools and discarded originals were seized, the premises sealed, and the store owner detained.912008,678120 Earlier this year, in April 2026, NAFDAC dismantled illegal production outlets linked to the same Zamfara Plaza area and Lagos Island, recovering over 1,800 cartons of counterfeit and adulterated alcoholic products valued at approximately ₦350 million. Makeshift facilities with plastic mixing tanks, improvised filtration systems, empty branded bottles and packaging materials were uncovered.

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These actions form part of NAFDAC’s broader, intensified campaign against substandard, fake and expired regulated products. Recent operations have included seizures of banned sachet and small-bottle alcoholic drinks worth hundreds of millions of naira across Lagos markets, large-scale raids on adulterated wine and beverage factories in Aba estimated at billions of naira, and ongoing efforts to clear unregistered cosmetics and other goods from the Trade Fair Complex itself.

NAFDAC has repeatedly urged consumers to remain vigilant, especially during peak trading periods, to check production and expiry dates carefully, buy from reputable sources, and report suspicious products or activities to the nearest NAFDAC office or via the agency’s hotlines (0700-1-NAFDAC for enquiries and 0800-1-NAFDAC for complaints). The agency continues to warn that dealing in expired, revalidated or counterfeit products attracts severe penalties under Nigerian law.

As investigations into the two suspects continue, the raid serves as another reminder that the fight against the circulation of unwholesome drinks in Lagos’s bustling markets is far from over. Consumers are advised to stay alert and prioritise their health over bargain prices that may hide dangerous fraud.