The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has seized three petrol tankers used to convey edible vegetable oil in Lagos State.
In a post on X on Wednesday, the agency said the oil had reportedly been trans-loaded 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 said investigation would inform the suspects of “the dangers inherent in mixing petroleum products which we know are carcinogenic, not safe for human consumption”.
The agency said NAFDAC boss 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.
NAFDAC urged the public to report any suspicious or unwholesome practices related to food and regulated products.