By Tina George, Minna
Two trucks containing 1,940 bags of rice worth over N33 million has been seized by the Niger/Kogi Command of the Nigeria Customs Service.
The seizures were made a week after another truck containing 520 bags of rice were seized.
The trucks, according to the Deputy Comptroller Enforcement, Jalo Musa Ibrahim, were seized along the Bida-Minna road and Minna-Lambata road in Niger state.
Jalo Musa Ibrahim who spoke on behalf of the Area Controller on the seizure, said the trucks conveying the smuggled rice include a Dangote truck and a Lafarge truck.
Ibrahim said that the Lafarge truck was mistaken to be transporting cement but for the eagle eye of the Customs officers, the smugglers would have succeeded.
Jalo attributed the rise in smuggling of foreign rice and other uncustomed goods to the Sallah festival that is around the corner.
“Sallah (Ed-el-Kabir) festival is around the corner, there are those who will want to take advantage of this period to bring in rice and other uncustoms goods.
“However, we want them to think twice, as there will be no hiding place for them due to the new patrol strategies explored by the area Command in June with the Comptroller General of Customs against illegal perpetrators who are bent on derailing the nation’s economy.
“We are more determined than ever to make the command uncomfortable fit the economic saboteurs as the Command will henceforth beam its search om trucks plying Niger/Kogi Command terrains”, he said.
