The police and beverage manufacturers have arrested some individuals for destroying returnable packaging materials, including glass bottles and plastic crates belonging to various beverage manufacturing companies.

The arrests were made during a visit to illegal sites in Onitsha, Anambra State, and its environs.

Director-General of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Segun Ajayi-Kadir, who spoke on the development, noted that the police, working with member-companies, acted on intelligence and stormed the factories to crack down on illegal disposal, theft and unauthorised recycling of the returnable packaging materials of the affected companies, notably returnable glass bottles and plastic crates.

Ajayi-Kadir said that they were alerted by their members that owners of these untoward factories were involved in destroying returnable packaging materials for reuse, causing the businesses to lose millions of naira in investments.

He said that the group had engaged relevant security and regulatory authorities through formal petitions and intelligence sharing, seeking lawful intervention to curb the illegal practices, recover company assets and dismantle unauthorised recycling operations.

According to him, member companies identified multiple illegal locations in the South-East where they crush manufacturers’ bottles and crates for resale as raw materials.

Ajayi-Kadir added that investigations by the police revealed that significant quantities were being diverted from legitimate channels into informal recycling networks.

He also disclosed that, in several instances, reusable bottles were deliberately broken and crates intentionally shredded for sale as raw materials, undermining the beverage companies’ circular packaging model.

“The recent raid is the outcome of sustained engagements and intelligence-led investigations and represents a decisive step by the authorities to protect legitimate business operations, uphold environmental standards, and deter further illegal activity,” he said.

He described the act as criminal and a serious economic sabotage, noting that these assets remain the property of beverage companies that have invested heavily in these sustainable packaging materials to protect the environment.

He, therefore, warned those involved in the act to desist, as they will continue to collaborate with the law enforcement agencies to ensure that offenders are held liable and made to face the full wrath of the law.

Ajayi-Kadir stressed further that, beyond the asset loss, the activities of these individuals pose significant risks to businesses, including supply chain disruptions, increased operational costs, environmental risks arising from unsafe recycling practices, and threats to public safety.

He urged the relevant government agencies to move against the illegal destruction and diversion of returnable packaging material outside the value chain, and encouraged the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity of this nature to the police or call the consumer care lines of the beverage companies. (The Guardian)