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The Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit, Zone A, Lagos, has raised concerns over the smuggling of rice and other goods, describing it as a major factor exacerbating the foreign exchange crisis and undermining the nation’s economy.
The Unit decried the harmful effects of rice smuggling and other illicit imports on the nation’s economy, emphasising that smugglers deprive the federal government of vital tax revenues.
The Customs Area Comptroller in charge of the FOU Zone A, Kola Oladeji, disclosed this while showcasing some seized bags of foreign parboiled rice to journalists at the command.
According to him, the smuggling of rice and other prohibited products must be brought to an end.
Although Oladeji did not disclose the quantity and value of the seizures, he noted that they were intercepted within the last 24 hours along the South West borders.
He explained that the contraband had been under surveillance for an extended period as part of a coordinated operation.
According to him, Customs officers had been meticulously tracking the movements of the smuggled goods, gathering intelligence and monitoring key routes used by smugglers.
Their persistent efforts culminated in the successful interception on Monday, marking a significant breakthrough in their ongoing fight against smuggling activities in the region.
He further stated that a physical count would be conducted after the press briefing to determine the exact number of bags of rice and their total value.
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“These are just activities of the last 24 hours that we have recorded the searches. It is affecting our economy. It is affecting the stability of the naira to the dollar. We have local production of rice,” the CAC lamented.
According to him, there is a need to stop rice smuggling to allow local rice millers to succeed.
Providing further details of the operation, Oladeji revealed that the smugglers had packed the contraband into smaller cars to evade detection. However, upon sighting customs officers and personnel, the culprits fled the scene, abandoning the vehicles in haste.
“Since our primary goal was to intercept the smuggled goods, we did not concern ourselves with their methods of transport. We had to hire trucks and even utilize our operational vehicles to convey the seized items to our base,” he explained.
Oladeji noted that during this single operation, the unit successfully intercepted nine lorries, six buses, and 11 other vehicles loaded with bags of foreign rice.
On arrests, he stated that the smugglers abandoned both the goods and the vehicles the moment they realised the officers had closed in on them.
“These vehicles were abandoned. Immediately we sighted them, they knew the game was up, so they had no choice but to run away with their car keys, and most of the vehicles were specially built. You may not be able to drive them except they are the ones,” he added.
He mentioned that because of the vast land borders the country has with the Benin Republic, some of the smuggled items enter through the bush paths.
Oladeji lauded the Nigerian Army for always assisting the service when there is a need for that.
