Love Dooshima, a shop owner based in Abuja, was detained by police at the Zone 7 Police Headquarters on Monday, April 20, 2026, after reviewing an unnamed bread brand online. Her social media post, which went viral, claimed a loaf of bread remained fresh on her shelf for two months, sparking widespread debate on food safety standards in Nigeria. The bread company BON Bread filed a complaint against her, alleging the review damaged its business, though the post did not name the brand. Dooshima was invited for questioning and detained after complying, according to lawyer Inibehe Effiong, who, alongside activists MamaPee and Randy-Peter Akah, intervened in the case. She was released at 12:30 am on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, following intervention by Inspector General of Police Tunji Disu.
Christine Ikpeme, a professor of Food Science at the University of Calabar, stated that bread typically lasts two days without preservatives and up to three weeks with approved additives. She described a two-month shelf life as highly unusual and potentially indicative of excessive or unapproved chemical use. Common preservatives like calcium propionate and sodium benzoate are safe within regulated limits but cannot preserve bread for such extended periods. The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) enforces food safety standards in line with Codex Alimentarius guidelines. Professor Ikpeme warned that substances like bromate, now banned, pose cancer risks, and urged consumers to pay attention to texture, freshness, and labeling when purchasing bread. BON Bread's CEO, Maria Umeagwukadilo, denied any wrongdoing and affirmed the safety and quality of the company's products.
A businesswoman is detained over a viral bread review that named no brand, while the company that complained about her post faces no regulatory scrutiny despite serious food safety questions raised by experts. If bread lasting two months is scientifically implausible without excessive chemicals, then the absence of an investigation into BON Bread's production processes undermines consumer safety. Nigerians are left to wonder whether corporate influence shapes enforcement more than public health concerns. The police acted swiftly to detain a critic but not to verify the product's safety.
⚖️ NaijaBuzz is an AI-assisted news aggregator. This content is curated from third-party sources — NaijaBuzz is not the original publisher and is not responsible for the accuracy of source reporting. The NaijaBuzz Take is AI-assisted editorial opinion only, not established fact. All persons mentioned are presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction. NaijaBuzz does not endorse the views expressed in source articles.
