The spokesperson, Lagos State Police Command, Bala Elkana, said in a statement on Sunday in Lagos that the suspects were arrested following a police tip-off.
“On May 5, at about 5 a.m, acting on the strength of information from a credible source that a truckload of cow skins, popularly called ‘ponmo’, suspected to be poisonous were heaped in a warehouse at No. 9, College Road, Igando.
“A team of Police officers led by the Divisional Police Officer Igando, mobilised to the scene.
“The huge pillage and pyramid of poisonous ponmo and the chemicals used in the preservation of the cow skins were recovered.
“One TATA Truck with registration number AKD-375-XB which was used in conveying the goods was impounded.
“Officials of Lagos State Ministry of Health were contacted and after due examination, the cow skins were confirmed to be poisonous and not fit for human consumption.
“Six suspects Adelowo Yinka 50, Olawumi Onabanjo 40, Omowumi Wasiu 43, Adeshokan Taiwo 43, Iyabo Oluwa 38 and Taye Kazeem 40yrs were arrested in connection with the case.’’
The Commissioner of Police Lagos State Command assured Lagosians that the Command will continue to protect life and property of the people.
Mr Muazu also assured that the command would ensure the preservation of public health and safety as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Earlier, the Lagos State Government had alerted residents of the state to the circulation of “poisonous ponmo" in some markets in the state.
A statement by Adeola Salako, Director of Public Affairs, Lagos State Ministry of Health, noted that the government had so far arrested three person involved in the selling of the “poisonous ponmo”.
Ponmo, as it is popularly known in Nigeria, is cow skin, specially prepared for consumption.
He revealed that the suspects were arrested at Ojo and Iba Local Government Areas of the state with large quantities of ponmo and that the seized ponmo have been sent to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control in order for tests to be carried out to check if they are okay for consumption.
The statement read: “The Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris, who disclosed this in his office today (Sunday) while reviewing report of preliminary investigation and enforcement carried out on the sale of the toxic ponmo in the areas, stated that the three persons involved had been charged to court, while samples of the confiscated ponmohad been sent to the NAFDAC laboratory for suitability test analysis for human consumption."
The commissioner further said the traders engaged in the sale of these poisonous products do business at odd hours in various locations in two Local Government Areas.
“Preliminary investigations and suspects tracing revealed that the traders were very active between 4am and 6am at various locations such as Volkswagen bus stop, Iyana Iba, Afolabi Ege Markets, all within the Ojo local government and Iba local council areas of the state.
“Furthermore, a company said to be located at the Ijedodo area of Iba LCDA was indicted as the source of supply of this toxic ponmo and has subsequently been put under surveillance."
Salako went on to urge the public to be careful and not hesitate to report to environmental health officers in their nearest local government or to the ministry of health any sale of foods and foods products that are not up to required standard.
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