Pix: Adewale Adeniyi, CG CUSTOMS

By Alex Akao

It was not the first time eagle-eyed operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) would detect and impound wonton importation of deadly items into the country.
From lethal arms, ammunition, fake, and adulterated pharmaceuticals, cannabis sativa, to expired foods and carbonated drinks, the Nigeria-Benin Republic frontiers, popularly known as Seme Borders, have regularly been on the news for all the wrong reasons.

Analysts say the latest haul of 10,000 bags of expired, caked, and odour-oozing flour loaded in five trailers could have spelled doom for unsuspecting Nigerians who daily crave bread and other snacks on the breakfast table, if intels had failed the amiable Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi.

ORIGIN AND DETECTION
According to the Customs Area Controller (CAC) of the Seme-Badagry Command, Comptroller Wale Adenuga, it all started with the CGC receiving intelligence from Cairo Egypt that the deadly products which had been certified unfit for human consumption in the Arab country and therefore consigned to destruction, were being packaged for export to Nigeria.
Aside from the ongoing bilateral cordially between the two countries, CGC Adeniyi is currently the Chair of the World Customs Organisation (WCO), a position that ranks him as the number one Customs Officer globally, and thus in a vantage position to obtain such classified info.

Upon beholding the credible intels, the CGC promptly alerted his man and namesake at the Seme border to be on the alerts.

While showcasing the enormous seizures to journalists Comptroller Wale Adenuga, said the unwholesome products would be handed over to the National Agency for Food Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), for destruction.

“Each of the five trailers carried 2000 bags of the products making a total of 10,000 bags of expired flour, originating from Egypt, with a duty-paid value (DPV) of N1,210,300,000

“Unknown to them that we were already on the alert, they drove in and were promptly intercepted with the joint efforts of NAFDAC officials.

“You can imagine edible foods produced in 2024, March, and expired in November 2024.
If they had found their ways into the country, they would have grounded them, changed the bags, and it goes into the market for bakers to buy and produce bread and other snacks.
You know that one of the commonest staple foods in Nigeria is bread. “

Comptroller Adenuga further noted that beyond health implications, “such unwholesome imports undermine local industries and erode customers’ trust”.

WHY CONSUMING FOODS FROM EXPIRED FLOUR IS DANGEROUS

According to experts, using caked and expired or repackaged flour to bake bread or snacks comes with serious health risks, such as:

1. Mold & Toxins: Old flour often grows mold that produces aflatoxins — poisons that can damage the liver and cause cancer.
2. Bacteria: It may carry germs like E. coli or Salmonella that cause food poisoning.
3. Rancid Oil: The fat in flour turns bad over time, leading to harmful chemicals and digestive problems.
4. No Nutrition: Expired flour loses vitamins and quality — you get empty calories.
5. Hidden Danger: Grinding or baking doesn’t remove the toxins. Repackaging it is food fraud and a crime.

Comptroller Adenuga further enthused, “Look at the number of cancers. Look at the number of diseases. So these are things that, through the intelli engagement and interagency synergy, we were able to intercept.

“Through this collaborative efforts, we are determined more than ever before, to harmonise and enhance border operations and further strengthen Nigeria-Abidjan Trade Corridor, in accordance with the CGC’s regional integration agenda.