Three Siblings Caught Selling Beans Preserved with Insecticide in Lagos

Three siblings, Faith Ogbona, Chidioke Ogbona and Sunday Ogbona, who are beans traders on Adenekan Street, Alagbado, Lagos State, have been arrested by the police for allegedly selling beans preserved with an insecticide called “Sniper” to members of the public.

According to reports from Punch, the siblings, who hail from Ebonyi State, were arrested by the police, after being alerted by a woman, who caught Chidioke, 18, applying Sniper on the beans.

A police source said 41-year-old Faith had wanted to influence his brothers’ release by allegedly offering the divisional police officer a N500,000 bribe, which the latter rejected. 

The suspects were paraded with some bags of the “poisonous beans” and some bottles of Sniper recovered from the shop.

During interrogation, Chidioke said he wanted to preserve the beans with the insecticide to prevent it from being infested with insects, adding that he deduced his “preservation method” from the use of Sniper to kill rodents.

”I just saw it (Sniper) as something that kills insects and decided to use it to preserve the beans and kill the insects therein. I was applying the chemical for the first time when a woman approached me and warned that it was dangerous.

A few minutes after, some policemen came to arrest me. My brother (Faith) was not around when I put the Sniper in the beans.”

On his part, Faith, the shop owner, said although his suppliers in Maiduguri, Borno State, where he bought the goods, used some chemicals including Sniper and DD Force, to preserve beans, but his brother carried out the act without his consent.

”I wasn’t around when my brother was caught putting Sniper in the beans. I was called on the telephone and I quickly returned to Lagos from Ibadan (Oyo State), where I had gone for a function. Sunday came to my shop when he learnt some policemen were there and he was also arrested.

Chidioke just came back from our village. He had never seen me put Sniper in beans. In Maiduguri, if my suppliers wanted to preserve beans, they put DD Force or Sniper in water and spray it on the beans. It will be stored for about three or six months, depending on the quantity of chemicals applied.

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I have never mixed beans with chemicals, but I have been buying the one with chemicals from Maiduguri. If it is stored for a long time, it is not dangerous for human consumption.”

The state Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, confirmed the report. He said the suspects would be charged to court after investigation.

”The excuse the owner of the shop gave was that he was mixing pesticide with beans and that he had been selling it like that. He approached the DPO, thinking he could easily settle the case and get the two other suspects released. He offered her N500,000, but she rejected it,” the CP added.

Photo credit: Punch