Officials of the Nigeria Customs Service have
stormed some markets in Lagos in search of
smuggled rice.
Their efforts led to the seizure of about six
trailer load of rice from shops at the Iddo
Railway Terminus.
Some of the rice dealers, who spoke to our
correspondent, complained that they bought
the rice from people who brought them into the
markets and had no way of knowing whether it
was smuggled or not.
The owner of a shop where the NCS men
reportedly seized 5,000 bags of rice was said
to have collapsed and was rushed to a nearby
hospital.
“The value of rice seized from her shop is over
N60m and she took a loan from the bank for
the business,” one of the dealers, who pleaded
anonymity, told our correspondent.
The source said, “They swooped on the
markets in the afternoon, brandishing guns.
They locked up the shops and went away, only
to come back in the middle of the night, around
2am to break into the shops and cart away all
the bags of rice they found there. They came
back to cart away more rice.
“Women are the ones selling in the markets,
the Customs are supposed to be at the borders
to prevent smuggled rice from coming into the
country, but they allowed the rice to come in,
only to come harassing traders with guns. We
are pleading with them to return the rice to the
traders.”
When consulted, the spokesperson for the NCS,
Mr. Wale Adeniyi, said the organisation was
empowered by law to impound any product
suspected to be smuggled wherever such
product could be found.
He said, “The rice was smuggled. We got
information that the consignment was taken to
a particular place and we went there.
“It is a message to smugglers that it is not
just enough to bring goods across the border
into the country; the goods can be seized even
when they are in the country.”
Adeniyi advised Nigerians to desist from act of
smuggling and go through the legitimate route
to bring in their goods.
The NCS has maintained its ban on the
importation of rice through the land borders.
The country consumes six million metric tonnes
of rice annually. Local production accounts for
less than 40 per cent, leaving a wide gap,
which is filled by importation and smuggling.
According to the Federal Government, prices of
rice which have risen to between N20,000 and
N22,000 per 50kg bag from about N7,000 in
2015, are expected to come down in November.
The NCS has also set 2017 as a target to stop
the importation of rice.

http://talkingdrum.com.ng/2016/10/12/customs-comb-lagos-markets-for-smuggled-rice/

After combing they will use scissors.

very good move, if the retailers dont buy smuggled rice for fear of seizure then the smugglers wont bother smuggling rice into the country

This is stupidity


If customs failed to perform thier duties and rice got in the market


They don't deserve or have the right to go to people's shops to sieze rice, it's very very wrong and bothering on cowardice


In other news customs can not identify the shop or the rice batch that was smuggled

This is an inside job, I smell beef