The Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, Ogun 1 Area Command, Idiroko, has seized 2,339 bags of foreign parboiled rice valued at N211.1 million.
The Area Comptroller, Olukayode Afeni, disclosed this at a news conference on Friday in Idiroko, Ogun.
Mr Afeni said the seizures were part of the command’s sustained efforts to combat smuggling and protect local farmers and agricultural investors.
He said unchecked smuggling undermined local production, forced mills to close and left farmers vulnerable to financial losses.
”Every time a bag of rice and other prohibited goods crosses the borders illegally, it deals a direct blow to our domestic industries,” he said.
The comptroller said the government and local entrepreneurs had invested billions to achieve food self-sufficiency, vowing to protect local farmers and agricultural investors in the state.
He described smuggling as economic sabotage that exported jobs, worsened unemployment and undermined Nigeria’s economic development.
Afeni also warned that smuggled rice could be stored for prolonged periods or repackaged under unhygienic conditions, potentially compromising its safety.
”No nation can grow when its borders are treated as gateways for criminality.
“This seizure is about protecting the livelihoods of our local farmers, manufacturers and entrepreneurs, as unchecked smuggling cripples the economy,” he said.
The customs officer said that the command also recorded other seizures, including 70 cartons of basmati rice and 30 bags of foreign sugar weighing 50kg each.
