Crime
Dutch Journalist Exposes Heineken’s Corruption In Nigeria, Others
Dutch investigative journalist, Oliver Beerman has once again turned the spotlight on Heineken’s controversial business operations across Africa, alleging a history of corruption, unethical marketing, and exploitation in his 2019 book The Dark Side of Heineken’s African Beer Empire.
During a book reading event in Abuja on Saturday, Beerman shared insights from his six-year investigation into the brewing giant’s activities in 13 African countries, including Nigeria.
The book paints a damning picture of Heineken’s conduct in the region, with Beerman accusing the company of engaging in practices that undermine local brewers, collaborating with authoritarian regimes, and exploiting weak governance to bypass ethical standards.
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“Unlike in Western markets, where regulations are stricter, Heineken has operated with far more freedom in Africa,” Beerman stated.
He pointed to the company’s use of marketing tactics disguised as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), such as funding schools in Nigeria’s Enugu state, where the buildings are emblazoned with the Heineken logo and painted in the company’s colors.
“This should be CSR, but in this case, it is another form of advertisement,” Beerman explained.
Beerman also revealed that many African consumers are unaware that brands they consider local—such as Gulder, Star Radler, and Primus—are actually brewed by Heineken.
He highlighted the company’s strategy of creating the illusion of local identity, such as printing the Congolese flag on bottles sold in the Democratic Republic of Congo, while the profits ultimately flow to Heineken’s shareholders abroad.
“They make the product look national, but in the end, the profits go to Heineken outside the country,” Beerman added.
Nigeria, according to Beerman, is by far Heineken’s most important market in Africa, contributing nearly half of the company’s turnover on the continent.
“Nigeria represents half of Heineken’s total turnover in Africa,” Beerman stated. “Lagos, the economic capital, is the heart of a conurbation that 20 million people call home. Nigeria as a whole is more than 200 million strong.”
But the journalist’s findings also expose a darker side to Heineken’s operations. Beerman uncovered a marketing campaign orchestrated by Heineken Nigeria’s CEO, Festus Odimegwu, that allegedly involved the use of sex workers to promote Heineken products.
“In Nigeria, the upper and middle classes drink in clubs without prostitution, but poor people go to bars where you pay 2,000 naira (around $10 at the time) to sleep with a woman,” Beerman recounted.
“So it came to pass that the company designated 500 well-frequented bars as so-called hot spots, where young women had to promote the beer.
“When I ask if they were also encouraged to sleep with the clients, Odimegwu’s eyes grow large as he looks at me, ‘What kind of question is that? Of course, they are prostitutes.’”
When Beerman reached out to Heineken for comment, executives defended the company’s past actions, stating that ethical concerns were not a priority at the time.
“You are looking at the past with eyes of now. Back then, ethical questions were not as important as the present,” Beerman quoted the executives as saying.
However, Beerman countered, “I show in the book that already in the 1990s, people who were already thinking of business ethics had begun asking Heineken questions about some of its practices.”
Beerman’s findings have sparked renewed calls for greater corporate accountability in Africa, where multinational companies are often able to operate with little oversight.
The Ogun State Police Command has recovered a Lexus 460 SUV valued at ₦45 million, hours after it was allegedly stolen by its owner’s driver, who reportedly conspired with two other individuals to transport the vehicle to Cotonou, Benin Republic, for sale at ₦10 million.
The breakthrough followed a report received by detectives of the Agbado Division on November 12, 2026, at about 7:00 p.m., concerning the alleged theft of a black Lexus 460 SUV by the owner’s 28-year-old driver, Jeremiah Jacob Emmanuel.
The statement was issued on November 13, 2026, by the Police Public Relations Officer, Ogun State Command, DSP Oluseyi B. Babaseyi, anipr, Eleweran, Abeokuta, Ogun State.
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According to the police, preliminary investigations revealed that the driver had conveyed his employer to his office earlier in the day but subsequently left with the vehicle without authorisation, allegedly claiming that his wife was indisposed.
He reportedly drove the vehicle to meet two other individuals identified as Akeem Olawale, 34, and Monday Keshi, who is currently at large.
The suspects had allegedly arranged to take the vehicle to Cotonou, Benin Republic, for sale at ₦10 million, despite its estimated value of ₦45 million.
Upon receiving the report, detectives of the Agbado Division immediately swung into action, deploying their investigative resources to track down the suspects.
The operation led to the arrest of one of the suspects at Agbado Crossing at about 7:00 p.m. on the same day, while the stolen Lexus was successfully recovered.
During preliminary investigation, the arrested suspect allegedly admitted involvement in the planned movement of the vehicle to Cotonou for sale.
The police said efforts were ongoing to apprehend the fleeing accomplice, while the case would be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Eleweran, Abeokuta, for discreet investigation and further necessary action.
The Commissioner of Police, Ogun State Command, CP Bode Ojajuni, psc, FCSS, MNIPR, commended the detectives for their vigilance, swift response and professionalism.
He reiterated the command’s determination to sustain intelligence-led operations, disrupt criminal networks and ensure that individuals involved in criminal activities are brought to justice.
The command also assured residents of its unwavering commitment to the protection of lives and property, while encouraging members of the public to promptly report suspicious activities and provide credible information that could assist police operations.
The Oyo State Police Command has arrested a suspected serial burglar, Nasiru Abiodun, over multiple burglary incidents in the Ejiooku/Iyana Offa area of Ibadan, recovering stolen property estimated at ₦16.22 million.
The Command disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday, November 1, 2026, by its Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ayanlade Olayinka.
According to the statement, the suspect was arrested on October 31, 2026, at about 9:45 a.m. following a report from concerned residents of Oyewole Zone 2, Ile-Igbon, in the Ejiooku/Iyana Offa area.
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Operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU), Maku Base, reportedly apprehended Abiodun at a residential apartment with a sack containing house cables and other valuable items estimated at ₦3 million.
During interrogation, the suspect allegedly confessed to burgling four different residential apartments within the area, carting away house cables, mobile phones, motorcycle batteries and other household valuables.
The police put the total estimated value of items stolen from the four apartments at ₦16.22 million, adding that some of the stolen property had already been recovered from the suspect.
Following his confession, operatives visited the identified crime scenes to establish relevant facts and advance the investigation.
The Command said efforts had been intensified to recover the remaining stolen items and apprehend other individuals suspected of receiving the stolen property.
It also appealed to residents of Ejiooku/Iyana Offa, Ile-Igbon and adjoining communities who may have experienced burglaries recently to report such incidents to the nearest police station or the Maku Base of the VCRU.
The appeal, according to the police, is aimed at identifying other possible victims and facilitating the recovery of additional stolen property.
The Commissioner of Police, Oyo State Command, CP Abimbola Ayodeji Olugbenga, reiterated the Command’s commitment to tackling criminal activities through proactive policing, intelligence-driven operations and collaboration with members of the public.
He also urged residents to remain vigilant and promptly provide credible information that could assist the police in preventing and detecting crime.
The police provided the Oyo State Call Response Centre toll-free number, 615, and the Command’s control room numbers, 08081768614 and 07055495413, for emergency reports.
The Nigerian Navy has uncovered 132,000 litres of stolen crude oil in Allison community, Bonny Local Government Area, Rivers State.
This was detailed in a statement by the Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, in which he disclosed that the Forward Operating Base Bonny discovered the stolen crude oil under Operation Delta Sentinel, following actionable intelligence.
He said the operation uncovered 10 dugout pits, adding that the site and the recovered products were handled in accordance with extant regulations.
“The operation reinforces the importance of intelligence-led action in identifying concealed petroleum stockpiles and disrupting the infrastructure that enables crude oil theft and the unauthorised movement of petroleum products.
“The Nigerian Navy will sustain efforts to locate and dismantle illegal refining infrastructure and disrupt the networks facilitating crude oil theft across the Niger Delta,” the statement said.
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The Navy urged community leaders, residents, traditional institutions and other stakeholders to promptly report crude oil theft, illegal refining, suspicious petroleum storage and the unauthorised movement of petroleum products to the nearest security agency.
Timely, credible information, the statement said, could enable swift intervention and prevent illicit activities from expanding.
“Safeguarding the nation’s critical petroleum assets requires vigilance and active cooperation between security agencies and the communities they serve. The Navy therefore urges the public to remain alert and support lawful efforts to protect national resources,” Folorunsho concluded.
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