NSCDC Raids Unlicensed Juice Plant in Badagry, Arrests Two Women

Operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Lagos State Command, on Monday shut down an alleged unlicensed juice factory in Aradagun, Badagry, and arrested two women linked to the premises.

The raid, carried out at a facility on Alabi Onilegbale Street in Olorunda Local Council Development Area, followed intelligence on suspected illicit manufacturing along the Badagry corridor. Officers said the plant was producing and packing a product identified as Barkas Juice for sale in Lagos and neighbouring states.

According to Superintendent of Corps Oluwaseun Abolurin, spokesperson for the Lagos Command, packaged drinks were found on site, while other consignments were already being loaded into container vehicles bound for markets. Materials recovered included industrial sugar, untreated water, adhesives, dyes, chemical colourants and production equipment.

Juveniles aged 15 and 16 were also found working at the facility and were taken into protective custody, the Corps said.

The operation was led by the Badagry Divisional Officer, Chief Superintendent of Corps Ekunola Gbenga Abraham. Lagos State Commandant Adedotun Keshinro commended the team and said the command would not tolerate activities that endanger public health or amount to economic sabotage. He said NAFDAC had been invited to test samples, inspect the plant and determine the next regulatory steps. The two women remain in custody and will be charged after investigations, Abolurin said. Their names were withheld.

One of the arrested women gave a different account when she spoke to CityMood. She said the business was started by her grandmother and had run for nearly two decades before closing because of operational problems. She claimed the plant was not in daily production and only bottled juice three or four times a year, depending on orders, and that the operators were in the process of renewing NAFDAC registration. She said she also keeps a shop at Oke Arin Market and that a major buyer is based in Benin City.

Those claims could not be independently confirmed at the time of filing. The Corps maintained that the factory was operating without proper authorisation and that packaged products were already moving to market.

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Investigations continue. Residents have been asked to report suspected illegal food and drink production to security and regulatory agencies.