Lagos customs chief Haruna Mamudu said the fake rice was intended to be sold in markets during the festive season. He said the rice was very sticky after it was boiled and “only God knows what would have happened” if people ate it.
It is not clear where the seized sacks came from but rice made from plastic pellets was found in China last year. Rice is the most popular staple food in Nigeria.
Reports say that it is the only foodstuff that crosses cultural and ethnic lines across the country. No ordinary rice.
Whoever made this fake rice did an exceptionally good job – on first impression it would have fooled me. When I ran the grains through my fingers nothing felt out of the ordinary.
But when I smelt a handful of the “rice” there was a faint chemical odour. Customs officials say when they cooked up the rice it was too sticky – and it was then abundantly clear this was no ordinary batch.