Lagos govt impounds truck-load of poisonous ponmo

The Lagos state government on Monday impounded a truck loaded with poisonous cow-hide, popularly known as Ponmo.

The seizure was effected at Ijegun, Ikotun-Igando Local Council Development Area of the state.

It was learnt that police operatives at Ikotun division arrested the truck that was loaded with the substance before they alerted the officials of the state government.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Dr. Olayiwole Onasanya, who disclosed this in Lagos, noted that the suspected criminals that perpetrated the evil are now at large.

According to him, the cowhide had been preserved with chemicals for the purpose of being used as leather material, but are being sold for human consumption by some criminals before the arrest by the Police and subsequent confiscation by the state government.

Onasanya noted that the confiscated ponmo has been transported to the Ministry’s outstation at Johnson Agiri Office Complex, Agege, for onward disposal at the medical waste dumpsite in Ewu Elepe, Ikorodu, area of the state.

Read also: LAGOS: Navy uncovers over N11m worth of stolen PMS in Akaraba Island

Going further, Onasanya said that other relevant agencies such as the Lagos State Waste Management Authority, LAWMA, and Environmental Health Officers have been duly informed of the discovery and the disposal exercise.

He reiterated the commitment of the state government to continue to step up it’s monitoring activities with a view to further fishing out the existence of any bad ponmo from Lagos markets.

He, however, called on members of the public to be vigilant and report any suspected activities and sales of unwholesome foods to the nearest local government in the state, or the state’s Ministry of Agriculture.

Recall that about 30 tonnes of similarly dangerous ponmo were seized by the state government earlier this year, at the same Ijegun, Ikotun-Igando Local Council Development Area of the state.

 

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now