Customs seize N3bn smuggled rice, arrest 344 smugglers

The Nigeria Customs Service seized a total of N3.02bn worth of smuggled rice between May 2022 and May 2023.

Data obtained from the service through its National Public Relations Officer, who is a Chief Superintendent of Customs, Abdullahi Maiwada, indicated that a total of 206,835 bags of rice were seized within the period under review.

This came as rice farmers decried the incessant cases of smuggling of the commodity, as they urged the customs and the Federal Government to step up the fight against smugglers

Data from the NCS showed that a total of 1,745 seizures were made by service during the 13-month review period.

Reacting to the development, Maiwada said some officers are currently undergoing training and will be coming in the next few months as well as facilities as the customs service is doing everything possible to curtail smuggling to the barest minimum