Rice smuggling: Customs put on notice as FG plans to halt officers from raiding markets to seize commodity

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- The federal government is taking measures to stop Customs operatives from raiding markets to seize smuggled rice

- The minister of finance who disclosed this stated that the government would provide 50 operational “anti-rice smuggling” vehicles to the service

- The purpose of the vehicles is for officers to be able to check smuggling at the borders without resorting to raiding markers and harassing traders

The minister of finance, Kemi Adeosun, has disclosed that the federal government is planning to stop operatives of the Nigerian Customs Service from raiding markets to seize imported rice, Daily Trust reports.

The minister made the development public during a chat with newsmen at the State House, following the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.

NAIJ.com gathers that Adeosun revealed that in order to check the persistent smuggling of the commodity into the country, the federal government has approved N1.12 billion for the purchase of 50 operational “anti-rice smuggling” vehicles.

She stated: “We felt that it is important we don’t want customs going to seize rice in the markets.

“Customs should actually act to stop rice coming in at the border posts and customs indicated that they need additional vehicles, additional resources as well as of course other more information-driven strategies to stop it.”

According to the minister, the vehicles would be purchased so as to stop Customs officers from harassing traders during market raids to seize smuggled rice. She also disclosed that the vehicles would be deployed to the anti-rice smuggling task force.

In her words: “The second approval was for the purchase of 50 vehicles and they are going to be deployed for an anti-rice smuggling task force that is being put together which customs will be leading.”

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Meanwhile, NAIJ.com previously reported that the Nigeria Customs Service said its command in Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara zone had intercepted 506 bags of foreign rice concealed in bags of beans smuggled into the country.

The command’s controller, Nasir Ahmad, made this known to newsmen on in Sokoto, and said that the seized consignment had payable duty value of N12.5 million.

Ahmad said that the items were intercepted by officers of the command on patrol along Sokoto-Illela road.

He said that the command had competent intelligent officers, investigating specialised activities.

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