A
abujagirl
Guest
Nigerian Customs Service has reportedly stormed markets in Lagos state and seized over N60million worth of 'smuggled' rice.
Some of the rice dealers who spoke to PUNCH 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.
A trader who spoke anonymously 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.
Some of the rice dealers who spoke to PUNCH 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.
A trader who spoke anonymously 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.
