Menu Close

Consumer Safety: NAFDAC seizes N25.33m harmful ‘Ponmo’, arrests 7 suspects in Lagos

Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, Director-General of NAFDAC

*The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control cautions consumers of the animal hides and skins called ‘Ponmo’, against the activities of some unscrupulous businessmen and traders selling the ‘industrial animal hides’ as food articles for the general public

Emmanuel Akosile | ConsumerConnect

In a move to protect the wellbeing of Nigerian consumers against avoidable health hazards, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says it has intercepted large quantities of dangerous animal hides and skins, popularly known in local parlance as ‘Ponmo’, in Lagos.

ConsumerConnect reports Sayo Akintola, Resident Media Consultant to NAFDAC, in a statement issued Sunday, February 20, 2022, disclosed this development and said the country’s health regulatory body’s operatives had arrested seven merchants of the ‘deadly product’, who are now in the agency’s net.

Ponmo

Akintola said Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, Director-General of the agency, also warned the general public, particularly consumers of ‘Ponmo’ against the activities of some unscrupulous businessmen and traders who are selling industrial animal hides as food articles.

The Director-General stated the NAFDAC Investigation and Enforcement officials swiftly carried out intelligence gathering around certain locations where the alleged products were being warehoused and sold in Lagos State.

According to NAFDAC, the measure followed earlier several complaints received from the public, pertaining to the alleged sale and distribution of imported hides and skins meant for use in leather industries and which had already been processed with industrial chemicals.

These hides and skins are then sold to unsuspecting public as consumable animal skin products, otherwise called ‘Ponmo’, the regulator said.

Adeyeye also noted: “Monitoring was also extended to some buyers who patronise the sellers and custodians of the warehouse.”

She noted that preliminary investigation revealed that some of the hides and skins were imported illegally and sometimes diverted to some merchants of death who re-process the hides and skins and further sell them as consumable ‘Ponmo’ to the public.

Adeyeye stated that in the light of these discoveries, the health regulatory agency recently conducted investigative raids upon some identified locations in Lagos, where market women and men were found clustered for purchase of leftovers from the warehouses.

Large quantities (120 tonnes) of the products were intercepted at six different locations, stressing that seven suspects who were alleged to be involved in the acts are currently under investigation, she said.

The NAFDAC Director-General further explained that samples of the products had been sent to the laboratory for testing so as to ascertain the products quality and unwholesomeness.

According to Adeyeye, the intervention would help the regulatory agency to deal with the interaction and the dangers associated with the consumption of these products.

She stated: “The street value of the product currently intercepted is estimated to be around N25.330m only.”

Prof. Adeyeye, however, alerted the general public to the existence of these merchants of death and their nefarious activities as she warned Nigerian consumers to exercise caution when buying animal hides, popularly known as ‘Ponmo’.

“NAFDAC wishes to advise consumers and retailers of ‘Ponmo’ not to patronise importers of hides and skins for consumable animal skins,’’ she said.

The agency warned that the hides are pre-treated with industrial chemicals, which are not of food grade and will be toxic, injurious to human health.

Health hazards inherent in the consumption of such animal hides include risk of liver, kidney and heart damage, increased risk of aplastic anemia, central nervous system toxicity, cancer, among several others, added NAFDAC.

Kindly Share This Story

Kindly share this story