The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has confiscated three petrol tankers that were transporting edible vegetable oil to Lagos State.
In an X post on Wednesday, August 22, the agency revealed that the oil had been trans-loaded into the tankers from an edible oil depot. Due to risks of chemical contamination from the tankers’ previous use for transporting petrol, NAFDAC officials escorted the vehicles to a processing facility in Sango-Ota for inspection.
The crude soy oil was then handed over to NAFDAC’s Southwest Zonal Office for further regulatory action.
In a video shared by the agency, a NAFDAC official explained that credible information indicated the same diesel tankers had previously been used to carry edible oil, posing a severe public health risk.
“This is a public health issue that NAFDAC must address urgently. We intercepted a truck in the process of being loaded with vegetable oil,” the official said. The suspects were apprehended, and the trucks were seized for further investigation.
The official highlighted that tankers previously used for petroleum products should not be repurposed for transporting edible oil because hydrocarbon products such as PMS or diesel have carcinogenic properties.
NAFDAC also announced that its Director-General, Moji Adeyeye, has established a committee to create guidelines and a code of ethics for the marketing and distribution of edible vegetable oils in Nigeria.
The agency has asked the public to report any suspicious activities involving the admixture of food and toxic regulated products.
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