Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra, Ocha Brigade, and the presidential task force on economic sabotage have denied torturing anyone among those arrested for allegedly manufacturing fake beverages in Onitsha, Anambra State.
The coordinator of the presidential task force on economic sabotage for the Anambra state chapter, Hon. Collins Enebeli, stated that none of those arrested were beaten or tortured by anyone. He also noted that after the arrests, they were handed over to the police along with the confiscated drinks.
The seven arrested individuals raised alarm about torture and detention at OCHA Brigade on Thursday after being released by the Anambra State Police Command. They claimed that they were rescued by the police in Anambra State.
In their allegations, they stated they were illegally arrested and tortured by Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra, while in its detention facility for days over accusations of dealing in fake products. They stated that the factory is registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and has approval from the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC). They also mentioned that the seven individuals who were released have been hospitalized due to the torture inflicted upon them at the Ocha Brigade detention facility.
The director of AliBan De Great Industries, a beverage factory in Nkpor, Mr. Ali Barnabas, described the arrests as an invasion of his factory and the abduction of his workers by Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra.
He explained, “I have many products registered with NAFDAC and CAC. On October 7, the Special Anti-Cultism Squad (SPACS) stormed my factory, ransacked it, and took five of my workers along with a vehicle, releasing them with the vehicle the same day.”
“On October 10, over 50 masked Ocha Brigade personnel, along with three SPACS members, again stormed my factory, broke through the iron protection, removed over 2,000 cartons of finished products, damaged the CCTV camera, and took my laptop, among other items. They detained nine of my workers, but when one complained of being pregnant, two were released and seven were held at the Ocha Brigade detention facility. Days later, they were taken to the State CID Awka, where I met with the DCP. After listening to my defense and conducting a discrete investigation, he asked me to write a statement, which I did, and my staff were released,” he said.
According to him, the factory that Ocha Brigade sealed has not conducted any business for seven consecutive days now.
“The DCP expressed surprise that Ocha Brigade would storm my factory and seal it when I have both NAFDAC and CAC documents. He immediately ordered that those seven be released. Interestingly, I presented my latest NAFDAC renewal approval to the DCP,” he stated.
Reacting, the Managing Director (MD) of Ocha Brigade, Comrade Celestine Anere, said their goal is to clean Anambra State from unhealthy practices. According to him, the law mandates the agency to maintain cleanliness in the state and enforce measures against anything that poses health risks.
He stated that the federal agency took them to a factory where they discovered the environment for beverage production was dirty and unsuitable for human consumption.
“When we found the filthy conditions and crude methods of manufacturing beverages, we had to seal and confiscate the suspected fake drinks and hand them over to the police. Our mission is to protect Ndi Anambra and residents from unwholesome practices,” he said.
Anere denied claims of torture and unlawful detention at the Ocha Brigade facility.
“After the arrest and confiscation of the drinks, we transferred the matter to the State CID and handed over the suspects and the fake drinks to them. You can verify this with the DC of State CID,” he stated.
The Anambra State Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigative Department (CID), DCP Akin Fakorede, confirmed that the suspects were transferred to their station. When asked whether the police actually rescued them, he responded, “Were they kidnapped in the first place? There was no need for rescue.”
He clarified that they were transfered and the police had taken them to the station, and they were not rescued because they were never kidnapped.
Fakorede noted that the police released the suspects because they had exceeded the required detention time, and the investigation is ongoing. He added that the police have contacted NAFDAC for a proper investigation into the drinks and are still awaiting a reply.
Speaking on the matter, the Coordinator of the Presidential Task Force on Economic Sabotage in Anambra State, Hon. Collins Enebeli, stated that their whistleblowers provided information about the factory, leading them to contact the Ocha Brigade.
According to Enebeli, when they arrived, they found that the factory was producing six different drinks in an unsanitary environment.
“We discovered that these drinks were made in filthy conditions. They were pouring mixtures into dirty containers like buckets and gallons, mixing some ingredients, and bottling them by hand,” he said.
Regarding NAFDAC approval, he questioned, “Which NAFDAC would approve such an environment for beverage production?”
He emphasized that they captured evidence on video, showing workers washing bottles by hand and mixing concoctions without machinery. They claimed that their machines were broken and they had to resort to manual production due to an emergency order. He stated that they confiscated the drinks and brought them to the police station in Awka.
“We did not beat anyone or torture anyone; neither did Ocha Brigade. I even released one pregnant woman and another who was menstruating,” he added.
Regarding their next steps, Enebeli said they plan to send the confiscated drinks to NAFDAC to determine if the agency granted approval for production in such unhygienic conditions. He also called for NAFDAC to shut down the factory due to its detrimental impact on public health.
