A popular ponmo supply store on Igboliki Street, Akure South Local Government Area of Ondo State, has been shut down after an environmental sanitation inspection reportedly uncovered buckets containing human faeces and urine on the premises.
The Akure South Local Government Chairman, Hon. Gbenga Donald Fasua, ordered the immediate closure of the facility following the disturbing discovery during the October edition of the monthly environmental sanitation exercise.
Fasua led a monitoring team through Oke Aro, Iro and Igboliki streets to assess compliance with sanitation regulations when the team visited the store, which was reportedly established more than 21 years ago.
According to information from the inspection, two buckets containing human faeces were discovered on the premises, while a video from the exercise also showed buckets containing suspected human waste, including urine, placed around the area where ponmo was being processed.
The operator, who was present during the inspection, reportedly identified herself as the President of the Ponmo Sellers Association in Ondo State.
Expressing displeasure over the condition of the premises, Fasua ordered the closure of the business and directed that the operator be prosecuted in accordance with applicable environmental laws.
In a video shared by the chairman, he also ordered the destruction of all products found at the facility, including already processed ponmo, insisting that the business could not continue under such unhygienic conditions.
He further alleged that the facility could be a source of cholera transmission in Akure, although no independent medical or laboratory findings establishing the claim have been made public.
The discovery has raised disturbing questions about the safety of ponmo supplied to markets and consumed by unsuspecting residents, particularly families who may have purchased products processed under such conditions without knowledge of the environment in which they were handled.
For a business reportedly operating for over two decades, the development also raises questions about the effectiveness of routine sanitation monitoring and regulatory oversight of food-processing and supply establishments.
The incident has renewed calls for stricter inspection of food-handling businesses and enforcement of hygiene standards to protect consumers from potential public health risks.