Members of the public have been alerted against consuming re-packaged expired digestive biscuits, which have flooded markets in Lagos State.
This warning was given by Chairman of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences Unit (Task Force), Olayinka Egbeyemi.
The former police officer said the re-packaged expired digestive biscuits now sell in all markets across the state.
Egbeyemi, while parading two suspects arrested for re-packaging and selling expired digestive biscuits to members of the public around Mosafejo market in Oshodi, Lagos, on Monday, explained that one of his officers arrested a lady (Bimbo Oyewole) at Oshodi under the bridge while she removing the expiry dates on a pack of a digestive biscuit.
According to him, the lady, upon interrogation was taken by the Task Force Official to the source of the expired digestive biscuit at N1900 per pack from one Rabiu Olalekan and Hakeem Tiamiyu.
Olalekan, whose known address as at the time of arrest was C135, Bere – Mapo, Ibadan in Oyo State confessed to have been doing the business of re-packaging expired digestive biscuits and selling them to members of the public at a cheaper rate with Hakeem Tiamiyu who lives at No 26, Oremeji Street, Ikotun – Egbe, Lagos.
He explained that the suspects claimed they purchased hundreds of packs of the digestive biscuit before the demolition of Mosafejo market which prompted the changing of expiring date and re-packaging since they were unable to dispose of the said items before expiry.
Under interrogation, both disclosed that they sell a pack of re-packaged digestive biscuit at the rate of N1900 as against the non-expired one sold at N4500 per pack, and had distributed to various agents across the state.
Meanwhile the operatives of the Lagos State Task Force has released 11 out of 149 arrested miscreants and charged 138 to courts for various environmental Offences in the last one week, while 19 motorcycles were impounded for contravening Lagos State Road Traffic Laws of 2012.
