Eight suspects have been arrested by the Lagos State Task Force  for selling contaminated turkey seized by the Nigeria Customs Service, to the public.

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.