The Nigeria Customs Service says there is alarming increase in the activities of rice smugglers, despite the ban on importation of the grain through land borders.
Addressing reporters after vehicles loaded with bags of rice were seized at idiroko border, the Ogun State Command of the Nigeria Customs decried the increase in the activities.
The Ogun State Area Comptroller of Customs, Mr Multafu Waindu, paraded 18 vehicles loaded with bags of rice which were being smuggled into Nigeria from the Republic of Benin.
According to him, the vehicles and the grains were impounded around 3:00am at the porous Alari and Ifoyintedo bush paths, in Ipokia Local Government Area of the state where the smuggled bags of rice and the vehicles were abandoned by the smugglers.
Mr Waindu further explained that the command’s patrol team also intercepted 410 motorcycles being used as means of conveyance with each having a carrying capacity of eight bags of rice per trip.
While warning smugglers to desist from the illegal business, Mr Waindu maintained that the law banning rice importation through the land border was still in force.
