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The Federal Operations Unit, (FOU), Zone A, Ikeja of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) yesterday said it intercepted banned drugs without NAFDAC registration number, smuggled rice worth N85 million in the last three weeks. This was even as the unit said it intercepted 4,208 bags of smuggled foreign rice worth N55.3 million concealed with tubers of cassava, animal feed and bottle of alcoholic products.
Speaking to Daily Sun, the Customs Area Controller of the unit, Compt. Muhammed Aliyu, said the contraband were seized while trying to move from Oyo state to Lagos. According to him, due to the joint security operation at the land borders in the country, Operation Joint Swift, the smugglers find it difficult to smuggle rice into the country hence, their attempt to move one already stored in the country.
He said, “We have some rice stalled in villages that they are bringing out little by little because of the joint security operation at the border. Now, we see them concealing contraband with poisonous substances such as soap, animal feeds and even alcoholic drinks.
“For instance, this is a truck containing soap but when you go inside, it’s not soap but was used for concealing rice. The truck contains 210 bags of smuggled rice but the soap is just a cover.”
