NAFDAC has arraigned a 30-year-old Lagos trader before the Federal High Court on six counts covering the alleged production, possession, and distribution of counterfeit alcoholic beverages, including Johnnie Walker Red Label, Flirt Vodka, Lords Gin London Dry, and Gordon’s Dry Gin.
The defendant, Chidera Kolins Chukwuka, was docked before Justice Ambrose Lewis-Alagoa on May 6, 2026. Prosecuting counsel Isa Ali told the court the charges were filed under the Counterfeit and Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, Cap. C34, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN), 2004, punishable under Section 3(1)(a) of the same Act. Chukwuka pleaded not guilty to all six counts.
Agency investigators allege Chukwuka was apprehended on April 14, 2026, at No. 30 Apongbon, Lagos Island, where he was found in possession of the products. Additional counts allege he packaged the items to misrepresent their safety and authenticity, manufactured unregistered food products contrary to the Food, Drugs and Related Products (Registration, Etc.) Act, Cap. F33, LFN, 2004, and offered the goods for public sale. The charge is marked FHC/L/279C/26.
With no defence counsel present to contest the prosecution’s remand application, Justice Alagoa ordered Chukwuka held at the Nigerian Correctional Service pending trial. The matter was adjourned to June 1, 2026.
Chukwuka’s arraignment is the latest in a string of NAFDAC enforcement actions along Lagos Island’s commercial corridor. In April 2026, the agency dismantled two separate illicit facilities across Zamfara Plaza at the Trade Fair Complex and Lagos Island, recovering more than 1,800 cartons of counterfeit and adulterated beverages valued at approximately N350 million, per NAFDAC’s official statement. The Spirits and Wines Association of Nigeria has previously stated that illicit trade accounts for roughly 40% of the country’s spirits and wine market.
The case also sits inside a broader tension NAFDAC has been managing through 2026. As Drinkabl.media reported in February, the agency’s sachet alcohol ban has put the regulator between the presidency, the Senate, and a Federal High Court challenge by SERAP, while distillers and labour unions have staged repeated protests at NAFDAC’s Lagos offices. That regulatory standoff has sharpened the agency’s enforcement posture across all alcohol compliance fronts. Conviction under the Counterfeit and Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods Act carries custodial penalties.
Read More: For deeper context on the forces reshaping Nigeria’s alcohol market in 2026, read Africa’s Drinks Industry Has a Sober Problem, and a Bigger Opportunity on Drinkabl.media. For coverage of how alcohol advertising and regulation intersect with public health, read Alcohol Advertising Exposure Increasing Children’s Interaction with Alcohol on Drinkabl.media.
