iFollowing the alleged invasion of their stores by about 30 officials of the Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, Federal Operations Unit, FOU, Zone A, Ikeja, accompanied by soldiers, market women, who deal in parboiled rice at Mile 2 Oke/Under-bridge Market, in Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State, staged a peaceful protest to the head office of Vanguard Media Limited, yesterday.

ricepix-newThe women, who wept uncontrollably, complained that the armed Customs men and soldiers, who drove in two trucks, invaded their stores at about 1.00am yesterday, carting away about 1,200 bags of rice.

Speaking through Mrs Suwebatu Akorede, the women, who arrived the Vanguard’s office at about 1.00pm, lamented that the Customs men and soldiers broke into their stores without indicating what their offences were.

Akorede said, “The armed security operatives met our workers who slept in the market, when they drove in at about 1.00am. During their operation, they beat our workers up and even injuring two of them with gun butts. They drove away with two-trailer load of bags of parboiled rice, as well as cartons of juice drinks, that we had in our stores.”

When Sunday Vanguard visited the market around 3.00pm yesterday, the market women, numbering over 100 wore forlorn faces, even as others were seen discussing in hushed tones.

Semiu Akeem, one of the workers who alleged that he was beaten by the armed security operatives, said: “I was sleeping when the Customs officials and soldiers woke me at about 1.00am. After identifying myself as a worker in the market, one of the soldiers started ransacking my pockets. When I asked what the problem was, what I saw was that he used his gun’s butt to hit me on my knee. At that moment, the soldier took from me the N150, 000 that I had on me, as well as my two phones.”

Semiu added that “after the armed security operatives finished loading their two trucks with the bags of parboiled rice, they drove me and three of my co-workers to the Customs office at Ikeja.”

Also speaking, another trader, Mrs Chi Okeke said: “We pay Customs duty to bring in our rice through the Seme border. So, we are surprised that the same Customs officials who had collected duty from us will still come to invade our stores and carting away our products.”

Chairman of the market, Mr. Idowu Akanbi, said: “We have gone to Customs office at Ikeja to bail our workers that were arrested, and they asked us to come back on Monday, to secure their release, stating that it was already weekend.”

When contacted, the spokesperson, NCS, FOU, Zone A, Ikeja, Uche Ejesieme said: “Sequel to an intelligence information, that large quantity of smuggled goods were kept in an open location at Mile 2, the headquarters monitoring team led by Assistant Comptroller Jatau Micah swooped on the location in an operation that lasted between 01.30am to 03.30am of Saturday.

“The team evacuated 580 bags of suspected smuggled 50kg parboiled rice and 151 pieces of used tyres. The seized items and the suspects have been brought down to our facility in Ikeja for further investigation. On the joint operation with the Army, it is in line the policy of inter agency synergy and there is nothing untoward about that.”

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/12/customs-officials-soldiers-raid-lagos-rice-stores/

Is history about to repeat itself? Going to bust people's shops in the middle of the night without notice should be condemned by all right thinking Nigerians. These seized goods will soon grow wings and hapless traders wrecked, some for life.

everybody must hear am. the poor suffering more in this administration. no offense stated yet people stores invaded and their lawful belongings taken away. God help us.

So , now Its Buhari's command ?

Why didn't they go there during the day and let the market women show the proof of where they bought their goods from? Something fishy is going on in this administration and should be roundly condemned but sadly, they have been compromised.

We have just started, don't complain yet, you have not seen anything yet, it is just six months.

What else can I say

Buhari taking us back to 1984...

DaBullIT:
So , now Its Buhari's command ?

Oti' so whose command?

Sharrap abeg. Should hoarding of essential commodities be encouraged? When prices skyrocket, it is the same Buhari you will blame. Sharp practices in business will always be at the detriment of the masses not the rich.

bulletproofmonk:
Sharrap abeg. Should hoarding of essential commodities be encouraged? When prices skyrocket, it is the same Buhari you will blame. Sharp practices in business will always be at the detriment of the masses not the rich.

we are in democracy , there are medium for government to tackle all this issue and not by attacking thier stores in the night like criminals. buhari the same today the same 1984 , too bad

They came for the Jewish, but I didn't speakup
Cos I was not Kewish

They came for the Arab in my compound bu I didn't care cos he is Arab anyway

They came for me, but you kept quiet

They will soon come for you.

These are the same people who condoned the murder by the zoo security cowards of a Biafran young lady and 8 others fighting for freedom

Now we should be concerned about their rice ?

yang:
They came for the Jewish, but I didn't speakup
Cos I was not Jewish

They came for the Arab in my compound but I didn't care cos he is Arab anyway

They came for me, but you kept quiet

They will soon come for you.

These are the same people who condoned the murder by the zoo security cowards of a Biafran young lady and 8 others fighting for freedom

Now we should be concerned about their rice ?

Exactly, what goes around comes around.
Someone up there was also defending this act, don't worry your time will come cos everybody ll feel the change

Customs need rice to share for xmas since baba no gree pay na.

Why did the custom officials break into thier stores at night? I am sure smuggled bags of rice passes either through our borders or some other routes a little far from our borders which I believe our custom officials know about. Is thier action not equal if not a wicked one? Last year a bag of rice was sold for #8500 or less, but today, it is more than #11000. What agricultural policies has our president put in place in order to mitigate the ban? Why a sudden rise in the price of rice just less than 6 months after the exit of GEJ administration. Government is a continuum, but if brains like Akinwumi Adeshina, Bath Nnaji could display good knowledge in thier field, what stops the government from calling them to continue and make our country a better place? It's so pathetic. So many questions but no one to answer. I neither sell rice nor beans, but many people on the streets and business places are really worried, complaining, disappointed and worst still crying. Thank God for those who are for good governance irrespective of thier political affiliation and who speaks out when it is expected of them. It's high time we reject this syndrome of suffering yet smiling. Which way Nigeria?

I was alive in 2015,when a group of Nigerians who didn't experience events in 1983-1985,coupled with some who experienced it but had forgotten,decided to take us back in time,to experience it,via their thumb print on the ballot. The APC should have presented a different presidential candidate in 2015;definitely not a Buhari. I'm still struggling to see the change that majorit of Nigerians purportedly voted for.

vanguard

chronique:
I was alive in 2015,when a group of Nigerians who didn't experience events in 1983-1985,coupled with some who experienced it but had forgotten,decided to take us back in time,to experience it,via their thumb print on the ballot. The APC should have presented a different presidential candidate in 2015;definitely not a Buhari. I'm still struggling to see the change that majorit of Nigerians purportedly voted for.

The worst of buhari is yet to come

This is why we call this Lugardian cage a zoo.. ..On Biafra we stand

DaBullIT:
So , now Its Buhari's command ?

Just shut that your putrid mouth if you don't have something reasonable to say...Blind Zombie

DaBullIT:
So , now Its Buhari's command ?

who is the president? Lets stop defending the indefensible. The customs DG was appointed by Buhari, abi no b so. Mteww

bulletproofmonk:
Sharrap abeg. Should hoarding of essential commodities be encouraged? When prices skyrocket, it is the same Buhari you will blame. Sharp practices in business will always be at the detriment of the masses not the rich.

why did the customs operated at night and no day time. Just watch how the price of rice will sky rocket next week in Lagos

Where is lalasticlala sef

Rice is ready...and to be served freely

Please when is the auction ...I can go to Ikeja Command...


Sai Buhari

Hmm our rice seller also complained of the same but this was at Iyana-era garage rice stores just before Fed govt college Ijanikin.

They(soldiers and custom officials) came in the mid night broke the stores open, collected the phones of the vigilante and the boys that sleep in the garage and loooted massively. She said she lost about 1million naira worth of rice and vegetable oil. The poor woman was very sad while narrating the story. She said its contribution money.

After the first raid they(the sellers) now decided to hide at one of the shops at the other side of the express(where tippers park) around past 12am they came again she said they came with big guns and a truck and they were using a big plier like object to break into the shops(which are mostly all those fabricated containers) she said they couldn't even come out to challenge them because they were scared being hurt by them but she confirmed that they were customs and soldiers and there was no one to report to.

But why come in the midnight?
Is it not the customs officials that allow the rice cross the border in the first place

End time raid.... They need rice for their families

And what happened afterwards?

smh

y naw?

Are we allowed to criticize?... No more FOI ...would have said this Regime is getting scary by the day and 4 years is a long assss time to wait and wail.

They say once a thief always a thief.


Buhari is a dictator.


A sadist