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Police arrest suspected fake insecticide manufacturers

Written by Olalekan Olabulo

Police, in Lagos State, have arrested three members of a gang that have, in the past past few years, been flooding Lagos and its neighbouring states with fake and adulterated insecticide products .

The three members of the gang were at the weekend arrested by officers from Ilemba Hausa Divisional police station after a raid on the gang’s hideout at Adededola Street Sabo Oniba , Ajangbadi area of the state.

The gang members , Frank Uba , Atumodu Akubue and Christian Agwu have since confessed their involvement in the illicit act of economic sabotage and risk to the lives of several millions of Nigerians .

The gang was in the habit of buying empty cans of used insecticide products and refilling the cans with counterfeit chemical substances through the aid of a gas cylinder and other equipment.

The image maker in charge of the state police command, Mr. Frank Mba while parading the suspects on Monday stated that policemen from Ilemba Hausa police station, while acting on intelligence information, invaded the premises , where the counterfeit products were being manufactured .

Mba further stated that equipments and other accessories being used by the gang including gas cylinders , empty cans of Raid Kill It , Baygon , Rambo Mobil and other insecticides and Easy On liquid spray starch were recovered from the criminal hideout .

Frank Uba, while speaking with the Nigerian Tribune confessed to have actively participated in the illicit act but claimed that he was introduced into the “ business “by Otumodu, a friend of his.

The 25-year-old suspect , who claimed to be second-hand cloth seller in Ajangbadi while admitting that he was quite aware of the implication of the deadly business stated that he had not been paid any money , since he joined the gang.

Uba informed the Nigerian Tribune that the gang bought its can from Hausa scavengers at the rate of N30 per can , while the cartons were sourced from different markets in the state .

Mba stated that the police, as part of the efforts to ensure a comprehensive investigation of the activities of the hoodlums, had sent samples of the counterfeit products to laboratories to ascertain the health implications of the product.

Link: http://www.tribune.com.ng/index.php/news/1058-police-arrest-suspected-fake-insecticide-manufacturers.html