Background: Cereals are staple component of the Nigerian diet; however, their contamination with heavy metals raises serious public health concerns. This study evaluated the concentrations of cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) in company processed rice (CPR), locally processed rice (LPR), and beans sold in Northern Nigeria. The study further assessed contamination factors (CF) and associated human health risks.Methods: A basket market survey was conducted in major cereal and legume markets located in three geopolitical zones of Nigeria: Bauchi (North-East), Kano (North-West), and Jos (North-Central). In each market, samples of CPR, LPR, and beans were collected from three random vendors. Sample were homogenized and combined into composite sample to reduce variability and ensure representativeness, following established procedures. Samples were analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS) following acid digestion.Results: Cd concentrations ranged from 0.35 ± 0.07 mg/kg in LPR to 2.05 ± 0.16 mg/kg in CPR, while Cr concentrations ranged from 0.93±0.12 mg/kg to 1.62 ± 0.35 mg/kg, exceeding permissible limits in all samples. Cu was highest in beans (12.27 ± 12.39 mg/kg), whereas Pb concentrations (0.71 ± 0.06–1.04 ± 0.06 mg/kg) exceeded the WHO limit of 0.2 mg/kg. Contamination factor showed high contamination for Cd in CPR, high CF values of Cr across all the samples, low Cu and Zn contamination across all samples, considerable contamination in Pb across all samples. Health risk assessment revealed substantially greater exposure among children than adults. Hazard index values via ingestion exceeded unity in all samples, particularly among children. Total carcinogenic risk values ranged from 0.0054–0.017 for adults and 0.0013–0.041 for children, indicating potential carcinogenic risks. Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that consumption of the investigated crops may pose significant non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health risks, especially to children, highlighting the need for strengthened food safety monitoring and improved regulation of agricultural contaminants.