The Nigeria Police Force has uncovered another fake wine factory inside an uncompleted storey building in Lagos.

According to a Vanguard report, the Lagos State Police Command has uncovered an uncompleted storey building in Aboru area of Oke-Odo, Lagos, where fake wine and assorted beverages are brewed.   Recovered from the illegal brewery were 4000 bottles of the adulterated wine of different brands, 1000 empty bottles of popular wines used by the producer. Arrested, was the producer, 48- year old Uju Daniel Ughanze, an indigene of  Anambra state.    The uncompleted building which also served as residential apartment for the suspect’s family, has various compartments, where the adulterated drinks are produced.   One of the compartments as observed during the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Police Police Command, Imohimi Edgal’s visit,  to the illegal brewery,  was used for processing  the chemical, while another was used to fill the bottles, while six rooms upstairs were used as stores for the finished drinks.

Expressing shock and worry over the health implication of the fake drinks on Lagosians, Edgal , said  samples of the  recovered products  would be sent to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC for laboratory analysis.    He informed that the building  would be  sealed until investigation was concluded.   He said: “This matter is an interesting case because it has to do with the health of Lagossians. “On December 18, 2018, at about 2pm, the command received credible information that there exists a fake wine/ brewery in an uncompleted  storey building at Aboru area of Oke Odo, Lagos, where assorted wine and alcoholic beverages were being produced.“Based on the information, I directed the Area Commander, Area P, Alagbado to mobilize to the scene, search and seal off the factory. When the team arrived the scene, they executed a search warrant which enable them to search and recover the following items: 4000 bottles of already produced, packed and labeled adulterated wine of different brands. 1000 empty bottles, drums of different sizes and various chemicals and  reagents used as raw materials and other tools used in the production of fake wine/ beverages.”During interrogation, it was discovered that owner of the factory, a secondary school dropout, has neither the requisite qualification nor license to embark on such type of business”.

But Uju claimed he had not commence sales of the product. He said he was just keeping them until NAFDAC gave him approval.   He said ” I am a creative minded person and all I do here is the production of fruit based drinks. I have not started selling because I am yet to get approval from NAFDAC”