This does not look or sound like democracy o!, custom officials stealing from poor nigerians in the name of raids.

erunz:
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

There is no law that stop custom or other law enforcement agencies from working or operating at night.

Yes, price of imported rice will sky rocket but Nigerians will have alternative (locally manufactured rice) to shift to, ( possibly at a cheaper rate) and thereby create employment for local farmers, local rice milling companies and other indirect benefits.

I am tired of the way many Nigerians think. We have too many educated illiterates who think disjointedly e.g. they want to go to heaven/paradise but they don't want to die.

I have a word for you; it doesn't work that way please!

Why are they going after retailers? It's because it's the same customs men that accepted bribe from the importers, letting those goods come into Nigeria without paying proper duty. Then they tracked that same consignment down to the market and seized it. It's all a scam.

That rice and vegetable oil will be shared among customs officers and they will cook and eat it with their families.

Good enjoy the change!
Am sure no Buhari voter was affected. No?

what a change Nigeria!

DaBullIT:
So , now Its Buhari's command ?

We have 1 commander in chief in dis country

DaBullIT:
So , now Its Buhari's command ?

Who called buhari now? Guilty conscience

bulletproofmonk:


Do you also have proof they paid duties? Stop being emotional for once and reason

Proof od duty is associated at the entry point.Thats where you can prove something is being imported or exported.

ziddy:
Why are they going after retailers? It's because it's the same customs men that accepted bribe from the importers, letting those goods come into Nigeria without paying proper duty. Then they tracked that same consignment down to the market and seized it. It's all a scam.

That rice and vegetable oil will be shared among customs officers and they will cook and eat it with their families.

]
And purge as well.

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.

How will their actions reduce the price. Fools everywhere! Smh

bettercreature:
Pay your duty! PMB has done his part by allowing rice to be imported via land borders so i'm still wondering why people still determine to smuggle it

So we should import rice abi? would that not be undermining the works the previous govt did in teh Agricultural sector?Look the FG just gave licence to his friends to import rice.That will kill our local industry.The should re instate the ban.

biafransoul:



Why do you choose to be daft like this? Who told they did not pay for duty or the source of the rice they are selling? Why defending the indefensible? What stopped them from coming in the day? How did they know the imported and local rice since most are packaged same? This act of impunity must stop.

Also they could have bought from importers in wholesale.Then they need not have proof of any duty.

bettercreature:
Pay your duty! PMB has done his part by allowing rice to be imported via land borders so i'm still wondering why people still determine to smuggle it

If they did not pay, the customs would have come during the day with media men to capture the seizure but was that the case here? Zombie!

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.

you lack knowledge and understanding. Did the writer mention hoading there? He said stores inside market not warehouse outside market. Where is ur sense of judgement? What stopped them from effecting the confiscation during the day? Simple truth is the comptroler is looting peoples goods with intimidation.

Cmeo:


There is no law that stop custom or other law enforcement agencies from working or operating at night.

Yes, price of imported rice will sky rocket but Nigerians will have alternative (locally manufactured rice) to shift to, ( possibly at a cheaper rate) and thereby create employment for local farmers, local rice milling companies and other indirect benefits.

I am tired of the way many Nigerians think. We have too many educated illiterates who think disjointedly e.g. they want to go to heaven/paradise but they don't want to die.

I have a word for you; it doesn't work that way please!

i don't normally respond to trash, but i just had to post this in response to whoever posted this rubbish. 'May God forgive you'

Toks2008:


Please spare us these rethorics and lets face it...if customs officers do their jobs very well,there will be no reason for breaking into shops.

I was a clearing agent for years and i know what goes on.

Sharp practises are the order of the day and that is no longer new..the point is that inasmuch as we have several custom patrols and checkpoints on the road to checkmate this smuggling,why would they break into shops without due diligence on whether those items came in legitimately..thats the point.

If we bring in cars and any officers suspect a foul play they ask questions and demand for specific documents but this was never the case.

lets face it,the act was very demeaning and a dent to their fundamental human right and must be discouraged.

Ok u are an agent ( no wonder)n u are not ready to change your ways abi? I guess u frm east, Ok continue. Agents corrupts govt. Officials by making false declaration n concealment. No one will ask u for kobo if u do d right thing n no excess carried. Anyway those people can go to court if they sure. Simple!

That was pure robbery. How can you invade someone's shop in the dead of the night and say you are carrying official duty.

Is it not same customs that were responsible to check the import through the boarders? What stopped them from arresting them at the boarder only for them to come to their shop to carry the rice.

this is pure stealing and the army /custom have been doing it 4 long .infact ,late last year (GEJ ERA2014)more than 6 trailer load was taken @ igbesa,ogun state . i was there some weeks ago ,they looted a rice store @lusada market near agbara in d same manner .the store owner fainted , buhari did not send them . the question is who sent them ? can they defend their actions ? where are they when the rice are being brought in ? please the traders should let the higher authority know .

is this how Government Agencies want to gather rices and oil that they share during festivals as christmas gift...



soon it ll be cooking oil and turkey market they ll invade...

I said it... lets watch before xmas..
u ll see am right

You voted for change and change u have here,abegi I no wan hear complain,e too early.

Droyal:
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

This is pure stealing by burglary.

Sane people voted insane people into power

Xmas finz. Even the uniformed men wan rock xmas.

erunz:
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

Definately, rice will go up.

Tomatoes and Onions are expensive this December, dem say boko dey disturb, now na rice and oil. God is watching oh!

Blind murafukas , didn't you read what the op wrote? that it's a repeat of the 80's , This is not Democracy ??

lomprico:

Who called buhari now? Guilty conscience

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

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

blackpanda:


Pls shut up. Must you be daft

tonquendo4u:
We have 1 commander in chief in dis country

IVORY2009:


Oti' so whose command?

DaBullIT:
Blind murafukas , didn't you read what the op wrote? that it's a repeat of the 80's , This is not Democracy ??

Is buhari d only person dat ruled in the 80s?? Mumu? Guilty conscience naim dey worry u and ur likes.

Change has come

warrior01:
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.

Condemn Wat?


They ar Economic Saboteur. They ar d cus of d dwindling value of Naira.


For wat reason do u want us to support smugglers.


All hands must be on deck in oda to move dis nation forward.


They should channel dia resources into Agricultural farming or look inward for oda business dey can do without aving adverse effects on our Naira.


Nigeria customs well done.

why go at night?