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By Madu Obi
Anambra -based beverage manufacturer, Mr. Barnabas Alih and operatives of the state's paramilitary agency, Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra, OCHA, Brigade, are trading allegations following the raid of Alih's factory at Nkpor near Onitsha.
During the raid, products worth millions of naira claimed to be fake were confiscated by the agency and seven staff of the company arrested.
Alih, who is the Managing Director of AliBan De Great Industries, has already petitioned the Police against what he called illegal invasion of his factory by operatives of OCHA Brigade on Oct 10, 2024.
He accused men of OCHA Brigade of storming his factory without warrant or court order, saying that they destroyed the CCTV cameras and took away large quantity of products, generators and other valuables before sealing up the premises
According to him, nine workers on duty were forcefully taken away, out of which two were later freed, while seven were still being held hostage in OCHA detention facility without prosecution.
Alih said that his business was duly registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), adding that all the products were approved and certified by the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), as well as other regulatory agencies in charge of his range of products.
He said that his efforts to speak with the OCHA Brigade officials were not successful as they refused to talk to him, alleging that they also confiscated the phones of his workers.
He added that his products were genuine with registered trademarks, contrary to the claims of OCHA Brigade that the factory was into manufacturing of fake and counterfeit products.
Alih said: “The first thing they asked for was where the CCTV was; they destroyed it, disconnected the monitor to erase every trace before they started their action.
I tried to speak to them on phone to know what was happening, but they refused to talk to me because I was not around.
These people broke into my office, took my belongings, loaded cartons of drinks from my factory in about five vehicles, took away my Lister generator and a small generator and started asking my workers where my private vehicle was.
“My manager showed them the regulatory approval documents, which they squeezed and threw away.
I am not aware of our offense. I have called NAFDAC and they said they were not aware of the operation."
Alih said he was totally embarrassed by the illegal invasion of his business premises and that he was losing a lot of money as a result of the shutdown, while his workers' human rights were being violated in illegal detention.
He called on the Nigerian Police to kindly effect immediate release of the innocent workers under captivity of OCHA Brigade and investigate their activities, arguing that the agency lacked the powers to act as regulatory authority over manufacturers of beverages.
But OCHA Brigade insisted that it was an illegal wine factory, which produced all manner of exotic drinks and faking authentic products.
A statement by the Anambra State Ministry of Health said the raid on the factory was led by Federal Government Presidential taskforce, in collaboration with the Anambra State Government against economic sabotage and oil vandalism in the state.
It said the seven suspects arrested and others were being questioned to unravel other syndicates that have contributed to high circulation of fake products which had caused numerous ailments among the people.
The Ministry said the suspects will face prosecution, adding that more efforts are in place to arrest others.
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