Monday, July 15, 2024 -The Lagos State Task Force has arrested eight suspects for selling contaminated turkey seized by the Nigeria Customs Service.
The spokesperson for the agency,
Gbadeyan Abdulraheem, said in a statement on Sunday, July 14, that during a
raid in Epe, the agency discovered that “dozens of cartons filled with
contaminated turkey seized by the Nigeria Customs Service and set ablaze at a
dumpsite somehow found their way into the hands of unscrupulous elements trying
to sell it to members of the public.”
He said following tip-offs from a
member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rasheed Shabi and the Oloja of
Epe, Oba Kamorudeen Animashaun, Task Force officials swung into action, raided
the shanties close to the dumpsite and apprehended eight suspects with some of
the contaminated turkeys and some harmful weapons.
Speaking on the incident, Oba
Kamorudeen commended the Lagos State Task Force for its swift response to the
incident, which, he noted, if left unchecked could result in a nationwide
epidemic.
He said: “I am glad this menace has
been nipped in the bud before it blows out of proportion. The state is
currently battling to contain the cholera outbreak in some parts of the
metropolis, so we need not compound the issues rather it’s our responsibility
to the citizenry to ensure sinister forces do not plunge the state into crisis
for their selfish gains.”
The Chairman of the Agency, CSP
Adetayo Akerele, who led the operation, said goods confiscated by the Nigeria
Customs Service must have failed at some point to meet the required health and
safety standards before being deemed unfit for human consumption, which led to
it being set ablaze at a dedicated dumpsite.
“We cannot allow some ignorant
individuals reintroduce products which have been condemned by a federal agency
to find its way back into the market. Contaminated foods like this could cause
cancer, lungs or liver disease and so on. Consumption is highly dangerous and
we are here to ensure that Lagosians are protected at all cost,” he said.
Akerele noted that all contaminated
goods were recovered and brought to the headquarters of the agency while the
arrested suspects would be charged in court.
0 Comments