The sun was beginning to set on a typical workday in October 2024 when Mr Bitrus made his way home. It was a long day at work and his stomach grumbled for skipping lunch. Bitrus, a resident of Maiduguri in Borno State, said he spotted a roadside shop and quickly bought a small plastic bottle of yoghurt and a packet of biscuits to hold him until dinner. Without a second thought, he twisted open the bottle, took a few gulps and nibbled on the biscuits while walking.
Barely an hour later, a sharp pain twisted Bitrus’ stomach, alerting him that something was wrong. The discomfort escalated and sweat formed on his brow as he struggled to understand what was happening. Then, a troubling realisation struck him. Worried, he checked the expiry date on the yoghurt bottle and noticed that it had long passed. He had disposed of the biscuit wrap and would never know if that, too, had expired.
By the time he arrived home that evening, the stomach upset had worsened and diarrhoea set in. Weak and dehydrated, Bitrus was admitted into a nearby hospital for the night, and the doctors confirmed what he feared: food poisoning.
Bitrus is one of at least a dozen Nigerians who responded to a social media request by Weekend Trust on March 12, 2025, asking them to share their stories about knowingly or unknowingly purchasing and consuming expired products. He is one of many survivors of expired and contaminated food times’ consumption, many of which are sold openly in some parts of the country.
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In this investigation, a Weekend Trust’s reporter went undercover into a bustling market in one of the major satellite communities in Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) where thousands of people tug at one another to purchase expired food items. From baby formulas to cereal, soda drinks and other household products, Bonanza Market in Mararaba, Nasarawa State, serves as the go-to outdoor shopping mall for many citizens of low economic background.
‘Our experiences with expired food items’
Josephine Igah (not real name), a resident of Mararaba, on the outskirts of the FCT struggled with her relative over her penchant for purchasing and consuming expired food and non-food items. Her relative, Mercy (not real name), always succumbed to the tempting low prices of items at a market that has come to be known as Bonanza Market; a name derived from the low prices of goods, especially foreign brand cereals and baby formulas.
“To her, purchasing goods at cheaper prices is a smart way of saving money. She buys milk, cornflakes, sugar, spices and even sanitary pads at significantly lower prices,” Igah said.
She confessed to having also consumed a number of the expired items without knowing until things took a drastic turn in November 2024. Igah narrated how she consumed a bottle of lemon juice from the carton brought by her sister without minding the expiry date. Soon after, she was hit by bouts of stomach pain and later, a wave of diarrhoea. She, however, said she did not suspect that the product had expired; instead, she was convinced that her stomach had reacted to the acidity of the lemon. It was not until after about a month that she noticed that the juice had expired a year earlier.
It was then she started to put the pieces, linking her periodic stomach pains and diarrhoea to some of the food spices and other items her relative had brought to the house for consumption.
Igah said her relative experienced diarrhoea and unexplained fatigue, which she could not understand.
She said that despite words of caution against the use of expired products, Mercy constantly defended her choices, saying, “If these products were harmful, I would have died long ago.”
This newspaper used its social media handles to engage with citizens, requesting them to share their experiences with expired food items. While some commentators expressed vigilance before purchasing food and non-food items, others reflected on the prevailing economic hardship that pushed them to purchase expired goods.
A’isha Sabitu, a Facebook user, said: “I always check the details of what I am buying. I am a food technologist.”
However, Seth worries that sellers of expired items take advantage of the low purchasing power of the average Nigerian. He said: “The sellers know that things are hard, so they reduce the prices slightly and people rush to buy.”
However, people like Alex Mark Ujah, said: “Anything goes nowadays. Whatever we see, we eat.”
Inside Mararaba’s Bonanza Market
On a daily basis, thousands of Nigerians working in the Federal Capital Territory commute from Nyanya, Mararaba, Masaka and other communities along the long stretch of the Abuja-Keffi Highway. Many of these communities are located in Nasarawa State and provide affordable housing for middle and low-income earners as well as small business owners in Abuja.
But on Sundays, many residents of these densely populated communities rush to the Bonanza Market, a popular shopping hub that has become one of the busiest at Mararaba. Bonanza Market draws a crowd daily but becomes highly populated on Sundays, which is the market day when vendors selling a wide range of goods, from food items and cosmetics to household essentials, put them on display.
Here, expired food items, drinks and cosmetics flood wooden shelves, enticing buyers willing to overlook expiry dates stamped on packages. Some spots in the market appear more crowded than others, drawing curious customers, including this reporter. A closer look at the shelves, however, revealed a troubling trend: many of the products on display were expired, but buyers believe that these products, despite their stark expiry dates, are harmless.
Based on a tip-off, Weekend Trust reporter visited Bonanza Market to observe its activities. The scene was full of vendors selling all kinds of products. “Desperation and necessity” are said to drive mothers and caregivers to the market where expired baby foods are sold at a fraction of the original market price.
