In a recent development, the Nigeria Customs Service (NIS) has made significant strides in combating the smuggling of food items out of the country.
The Controller-General of NIS, Bashir Adeniyi, reported the apprehension of approximately 120 trucks involved in such activities over the past two weeks.
This announcement was made during a briefing to the House of Representatives in Abuja on Tuesday, where Adeniyi detailed the actions taken by the NIS to ensure food security.
He disclosed that these smuggling operations were primarily targeting neighboring countries, including Niger Republic, Chad, Cameroon, and the Central African Republic.
Adeniyi explained the government’s strategy to redistribute the seized grains and essential food items back into local markets, as directed by the President.
This initiative aims to alleviate the current high food prices in the affected areas. “We believe this will drive down the price of food items in these places,” he stated.
Furthermore, the President has instructed the NIS to sell domestically produced food items, which were seized, directly to needy Nigerians as part of efforts to address the ongoing hunger and food scarcity.
Adeniyi mentioned that this process has already commenced in Lagos.
Additionally, the Controller-General revealed that the President has also directed that imported food items confiscated by the NIS should be sold in local markets to Nigerians.
This move is seen as a critical step towards mitigating the economic hardship and widespread hunger across Nigeria’s 36 states and the federal capital, particularly in light of the country’s struggle to produce sufficient food for its population, let alone for export.
