The operatives of Rapid Response Squad, (RRS) of Lagos State Police Command and officials of the State Ministry of Health today sealed off a fish depot belonging to Haano Industries Limited/Premier Fish Product Limited. The depot, which is located at 114, Oba Akran Road, Ikeja, was said to have housed over 700 million naira worth of expired fish that is being repackaged for sale to members of the public.
The company has been under RRS surveillance for about two weeks. The lid was finally blown yesterday by the operatives of the Rapid Response Squad following a tip off from sources that the company was revalidating the expired dates of fish.
This informed the immediate cordoning-off of the cold rooms by the police to forestall contamination of the site of evidence, as well as for the officials of the Ministry of Health to carry out inspection. The officials, who were at the cold rooms today, inspected four cold rooms containing thousands of fish cartons.
Lagos State Ministry Health officials were led by Mr. Kuforiji Adebayo, an Environmental Health Officer. He stated that the State Government was sealing off the cold room to pave way for thorough laboratory investigations of the fish found in the cold room. He noted that what they met on ground physically is highly suggestive of the fact that there are questionable practices as most of the fish has expired.
“What we have established here is a deceit and fraudulent activities. We have found that the company is revalidating the expiry of its products. As a responsive and responsible Government, Governor Ambode Akinwunmi would not fold his arms and allow unwholesome fish to be sold to its citizens… What we have seen indicates the condition of the fish before they were frozen, were not okay, that is why there are blood stains in the cartoon of the fish… If the labels are being changed now, the impression it leaves is that the labels might have been changed before the investigations”, he noted.
According to the Fish Manager, Sabir Alli, the stickers found littering in the lobby of the cold rooms fell off because of the shifting of fish cartoons to create space for the accommodation of new consignment. He pointed out that the company was not revalidating its product expiry dates. He added that the products that were to expire in March 2016 would be sold off before expiry date.
See photos after cut;