... Expired products from Egypt intercepted at Seme Border, avert major food safety crisis
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has once again demonstrated its vigilance in protecting the nation from hazardous imports, as operatives of the Seme-Badagry Command intercepted five trailer-loads of expired and decaying flour reportedly imported from Egypt.
The flour, totalling 10,000 bags with a duty-paid value (DPV) of ₦1,210,300,000, was discovered to be expired, caked, and emitting offensive odour, according to the Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Wale Adenuga.
The interception followed credible intelligence received by the Comptroller General of Customs (CGC), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, who also doubles as the Chairman of the World Customs Organization (WCO). Intelligence from Cairo indicated that the expired flour—already condemned and slated for destruction in Egypt—was being repackaged for export to Nigeria.
Acting swiftly, CGC Adeniyi alerted the Seme Command to be on high alert. Upon arrival of the five trailers at the border, operatives, in joint collaboration with officials of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), promptly intercepted the deadly consignment.
Comptroller Adenuga revealed that the expired flour, produced in March 2024 and due to expire by November 2024, was being smuggled in for resale to unsuspecting bakers and food producers in Nigeria.
“If they had found their way into the country, the smugglers would have changed the bags and sold the products to bakers. Bread, being one of Nigeria’s staple foods, would have become a source of poison,” he warned.
He stressed that beyond health risks, such illicit imports also undermine local industries and erode consumer trust.
Food safety experts have warned that consuming or baking with expired flour poses severe health risks. Expired flour can contain mold and aflatoxins—toxic substances that damage the liver and cause cancer. It may also harbour bacteria such as E. coli or Salmonella, and rancid oil residues that can trigger digestive disorders.
Even when baked, the toxins remain potent, making repackaging and resale of expired flour a criminal act of food fraud.
Comptroller Adenuga praised the effective collaboration between NCS and NAFDAC, describing it as “a victory for intelligence-led border management.”
“Through this synergy, we averted what could have been a massive public health crisis. We are determined to further strengthen cooperation under the CGC’s regional integration agenda along the Nigeria-Abidjan Trade Corridor,” he added.
The seized products have since been handed over to NAFDAC for safe destruction.