Follow Us on Google
Steve Agbota
The closure of the land borders across the country by the Federal Government on Tuesday, August 20, has caused serious inconvenience to citizens and those in the neighbouring countries.
Despite the border closure, information gathered by Daily Sun revealed that smuggling was still being carryied out through the creeks and the water ways. Over 90 per cent of foreign rice in Nigerian markets today are said to be smuggled through creeks and Nigerian waters by daredevil smugglers. However, those smugglers who could no longer pass through the borders as a result of the tight security mounted around the border posts have resulted to commuity and town smuggling business.
Different cases have been recorded where local smugglers broke into retail and major dealers’ shops to cart away bags of rice, vegetable oil, palm oil and other food items worth millions of Naira.
For instance, three shops were broken at three different streets in Mushin by smugglers carting away all the goods with their rickety vehicles used for smuggling.
On Showunmi street, 150 bags of rice was carted away, 80 bags of rice, 40 jerrycans of vegetable oil and 26 jerrycans of palm oil were cart away at Olusoga street while numerous bags of rice was also stolen at Car Wash in Mushin. Other similar cases were reported in Ogun, Oyo and other states.
One of the eye witness, Mr. Isiaka Ismaila, who spoke with Daily Sun said: “I saw the rickety vehicles around 2:30am. I thought they came to deliver goods to Iya Ronke’s shop because they use to come during the day and offload rice and that was the reason I didn’t challenge them. They were about four to five but I didn’t know they came to burgle the shop.
“They spent close to three hours while carrying out the operation. This is bad. Where do they want the woman to start from? One should blame the security agencies for allowing such rickety vehicles to be moving on the roads. I pity Iya Ronke because they left her with nothing,” he said.
Speaking with Daily Sun, one of the victims, Iya Ronke said she just stocked her shops with rice, vegetable oil and other items, saying that she was depressed when they broke the news to her.
She said the goods carted away by the smugglers was worth millions of Naira. She said she borrowed money from cooperative to stock her shops.
Some of those who spoke to Daily Sun blamed the incidence on the closure of land borders, saying if not urgently addressed, the consequences would be grave.
They maintained that the prices of staple foods have risen sharply with legitimate businesses striving to survive, urging the Federal Government to revisit its policy on the border closure in the new year.
