Customs Raids Ogun Market, Carts Away N12.4m Smuggled Rice
The Federal Operations Unit Zone A, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has seized rice worth N12.4 million at a warehouse located at Sango market, Ogun State. It was gathered that the officials of stormed the market in the night on Tuesday to seize over 1,000 bags of rice allegedly smuggled through the border.
Confirming the raid, public relations officer, FOU A, Jerry Attah said the Duty Paid Value (DPV) of the seized rice is N12.4million. He said the FOU operatives’ carted away 1,870 bags of smuggled and 43 kegs of groundnut oil.
Attah however said no shop was broken as alleged by the traders and challenged the rice dealers traders to come forward to claim the seized rice if not smuggled. “The rice was smuggled and if anyone can prove to the contrary, they should come to our office with relevant documents to claim it,” he said.
He said the rice that was seized were those parked in front of the warehouse. “We did not even into a single store. Even our men were unable to evacuate all the rice because the vehicles they went with could not contain all the smuggled rice,” he told our correspondent on phone.
However, the market leaders had alleged that about 15 trailers and five Hilux Vans load of rice were carted away from various shops in the market. The seizure did not go down well with the rice dealers at the market who took to the ever busy Abeokuta- Sango expressway in protest blocking vehicular movement.
The protest also paralysed business activities at the popular, Sango market as commuters were left stranded at various bus stops.
The leader of the market women, Alhaja W. Salako said the customs officers came in the middle of the night broke into their shops to cart away rice worth several millions of naira.
Salako who said the customs officers came with armed military men also alleged that their safe were also broken into and yet to be ascertained sums of money carted away. She further stated that the traders would not vacate the road until their wares are returned by the customs officers.
According to her “they came in the middle of the night, broke into our shops and left with 15 trailers of rice and give Hilux load of rice.” Salako said about four other traders are already in the hospital receiving treatment over shock of the raid. “They broke our safe, cart away our money now, four of our members are in the hospital due to the shock.”
However, chairman, Ado/Odo Ota, local government, Prince Oladele Adeniji said the market women alleged that customs officers invaded their shops taken away rice and money. He however assured the market women that the matter would be solved maturely.
“We are here to protect lives and properties because that is our primary responsibility. We have also talked to the affected people and informed them that the matter would be handled maturely.”
