Nigeria's food and drug control agency (Nafdac) says it is taking “swift action” to investigate a popular brand of noodles over alleged presence of a substance associated with increased risks of cancer.

The agency said in a statement it was conducting “random sampling and analysis of Indomie noodles, including the seasoning, for the presence of ethylene oxide".

It said it was extending the investigation to other brands of instant noodles in the Nigerian market.

Nafdac said the probe follows recall of the “special chicken flavour” noodle brands last week in Malaysia and Taiwan after the substance was detected in some samples.

Indofoods, the Indonesian food giant that makes Indomie, has however since defended the safety of its products.

The Nigerian agency said that the implicated brand was not registered for sale in Nigeria, noting that the ports authorities were on alert not to allow its importation.

"We assure the public that thorough investigation of the products will be conducted both at the factory and market levels and our findings will be communicated," it said.