Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has raised an alarm over the circulation of poisonous Chinese rice and cigarettes, particularly during Easter festivities. The Ogun Area 1 Command of NCS said it had seized 740 bags of Chinese rice, each weighing 25kg, suspected to be poisonous from a warehouse in Sagamu, Ogun State, during a night raid carried out by the anti-smuggling operatives of the command.
The NCS Controller for the Area 1 Command, Comptroller Bamidele Makinde, disclosed this while handing over some illicit drugs intercepted by his operatives to the State Controller of National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), and also gave a report on the first quarter activities of his command. The Command intercepted a total of 12,610 bags of foreign parboiled rice, 77,250 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), 73 bales of second-hand clothing, and other contrabands worth over N704 million in Duty Payable Value (DPV) from January to March 2023.
Makinde explained that the importation of such goods, labelled and addressed in Chinese language, is contrary to the extant laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He further disclosed that the command’s operatives made a seizure of 1,446 cartons of imported cigarettes inscribed with Chinese language all over its cartons.
The NCS Controller also revealed that 107 sacks of Cannabis Sativa, with 1,375 wraps of book, bread, and coconut sizes, with a market value of over N98 million, were intercepted from the 181 total seizures recorded by the command within the period under review. The cannabis sativa has been scheduled for handing over to the Commander of Narcotics, Ogun State Command of NDLEA, CN Ibiba Odili.
The NCS Controller warned the public to be careful and vigilant while shopping for rice and other food items during the Easter celebrations. Makinde emphasized that the 740 bags of poisonous Chinese rice should not be consumed as they pose a risk to human health.
The NCS urged Nigerians to report any suspicious movement of illicit goods, especially foreign parboiled rice and cigarettes inscribed with Chinese language, to the nearest Customs formation or other security agencies for prompt action. The NCS assured that the fight against smuggling and other illicit activities in the country will continue, and perpetrators will be brought to book to face the full wrath of the law