The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has confiscated three petrol tankers used for transporting edible vegetable oil in Lagos State.
According to a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, the agency reported that the oil had been transferred into the tankers from an edible oil depot.
“Concerned about the potential health risks due to chemical contamination from the tankers’ previous use for transporting petrol, NAFDAC officials escorted the tankers to a processing facility in Sango-Ota.
“The crude soy oil was then handed over to the Southwest Zonal Office of NAFDAC for further regulatory action,” the agency stated.
In an attached video showing one of the seized tankers, a NAFDAC official said credible information revealed that the same tankers used to load vegetable oil had been used to load petroleum products.
“This is a public health issue that requires NAFDAC’s attention. That was why we immediately went to that area and we caught a truck being loaded,” the official stated.
He said the suspects were apprehended and the trucks seized for further investigation.
The official said the tankers can’t load vegetable oil “and at the same time we are seeing tags of petrol and diesel on them”.
He stated that the investigation would educate the suspects on “the dangers of mixing petroleum products, which are carcinogenic and unsafe for human consumption.”
NAFDAC also mentioned that its Director-General, Moji Adeyeye, has established a committee to develop guidelines and a code of ethics for the marketing and distribution of edible vegetable oils in Nigeria.
The agency urged the public to report any suspicious or harmful practices related to food and other regulated products.
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