The police in Lagos State on Monday arrested three traders at the Mosafejo Market in the Oshodi area of the state for allegedly selling expired biscuits to consumers.
The suspects, identified as Hakeem Tiamiyu, Rabiu Olalekan and Bimbo Oyewole, allegedly doctored the expiry dates on the biscuits’ cartons and sold to unsuspecting members of the public.
It was gathered that the traders were arrested by operatives of the Lagos State Task Force on Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit after a tip-off.
The traders allegedly sold a carton of the expired biscuits for N1,900 instead of N4,500.
According to the police, Oyewole, a retailer, had gone to the Mosafejo Market and allegedly bought the expired cartons and brought them to her stall for sale.
It was said some consumers, however, observed that Oyewole had doctored the dates on the cartons and they reported to a police patrol team in the area.
It was learnt that one of the policemen, who came with the consumers, also saw Oyewole allegedly cleaning off the expired dates on the pack of the biscuits.
The woman was thereafter arrested.
Oyewole afterwards took the task force policemen to Olalekan and Tiamiyu’s shops where they were also apprehended.
Olalekan, who said he lived in the Mapo area of Ibadan, Oyo State, told the police in his statement that he bought the cartons before the government demolished a section of the market and he could not sell them before they expired.
He confessed that he had been partnering Tiamiyu to sell the expired products to people.
He said, “I bought 100 packs of biscuits before the state government came to the Mosafejo Market and demolished our shops. I could not sell them at the market before they expired. I decided to change their expiry dates and repackage them for sale.
“It was poverty that forced me to adopt this method. I distributed the expired biscuits to some traders.”
Tiamiyu, who lived on Oremeji Street in the Ikotun Egbe area of Lagos State, added that they sold a carton of the repackaged biscuits for N1,900 to attract buyers.
The Public Affairs Officer of the task force, Adebayo Taofiq, said the police had recovered 48 cartons of expired biscuits as of Monday.
He said, “The chairman of the task force, SP Olayinka Egbeyemi, wants members of the public to be wary of these repackaged expired biscuits, which are selling in markets across the state.
“The two male traders were arrested and paraded for selling expired biscuits around the Mosafejo Market in Oshodi.
“The police recovered 48 cartons of the expired products from them. We are making efforts to find where the product is being distributed and to recover the rest, as well as arrest all other accomplices. But the public must be wary of this expired product.”
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