The Federal Government on Tuesday, said it had so far intercepted 141 trucks attempting to smuggle grains and other staples to Niger Republic, Chad, Cameroon, and the Central African Republic as amongst measures to address the food and cost of living crisis.
The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adeniyi, said that the two institution had within two weeks confiscated about 120 trucks smuggling food items from Nigeria while the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission stopped 21 food trucks from leaving the country on Tuesday.
The CG disclosed these measures at the House of Representatives in Abuja on Tuesday.
Numbers of trucks and warehouses, mostly owned by manufacturers and other members of the organised private sector have come under attack from hoodlums as the food inflation and the cost of living crisis in the country heightened.
On Sunday, hoodlums attacked an Agricultural and Rural Development Secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory Administration warehouse located in the Dei-Dei area where they looted rice, grains, and other relief items.
Similarly, the hoodlums in their numbers also stormed another warehouse in the Idu Industrial Estate, Jabi, Abuja, but were repelled by the security forces guarding the facility.
While briefing the federal lawmakers on the enforcement of the Presidential directive to curtail food smuggling during the sectoral debate series, the CG, Adeniyi, said President Bola Tinubu had given the directive that arrested trucks be diverted to the local markets in the area where they were arrested to force down the prices of grains and other food items.
“Mr President has directed that we sell directly to needy Nigerians food items produced locally but which were seized.
This is one of the ways to address hunger and food scarcity we are facing. We have started this in Lagos.
“Also, the President has also directed that imported food items seized by the Nigeria Customs Service should be sold back to the local markets for resale to Nigerians.”
During the session presided over by Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, Adeniyi answered questions by giving reasons why the auction of seized grains was temporarily discontinued by the NCS.
“We started in Lagos but you know what happened. There was a stampede. No matter the number of bags of rice you share or sell, it will not be enough.”
“We have to focus on one place at a time. We will use the lessons we learnt in Lagos to coordinate this programme when we resume,” he said.
The Head of Media and Publicity, EFCC, Dele Oyewale, said in a statement on Tuesday, that the trucks were intercepted in a sting operation at major exit routes along Kalabiri/Gamboru Ngala and Bama Roads, Borno State.
Chinedum Anayo