March 08, (THEWILL)- The Nigeria Customs Service says it has seized over 120 trucks of essential foodstuff nationwide as part of its efforts to ensure food sufficiency and food security in the country.
The Comptroller-General of the Service, Bashir Adewale, who disclosed this on Friday, in Kano, said the seizure was effected in collaboration with other federal agencies.
The food items, Adewale said, included cassava, beans, rice and sorghum.
He stated this while addressing newsmen as part of his visit to Kano, which included meeting with dealers of the Dawanau International Grains Market.
He also revealed that the service is deploying new strategies to tackle hunger and food insecurity in the country.
Adewale said as part of the strategies, the Service was also engaging big grain markets across the country to ensure that they shun the exportation and hoarding of foodstuff.
He said President Bola Tinubu had given a matching order to the Service to ensure that excessive hoarding and illegal exportation of grains are curtailed.
“I am emphasising that we are directed by President Tinubu to take all measures to reduce the problem of high prices of food items in the market and that some food items should be released back to the markets.
“Apart from policing the borders, our mandate is to also ensure the protection of agricultural inputs as very essential elements of national powers, which ensure food security because hunger is an essential element of chaos and uncertainties,” he said.
The Comptroller-General said recent happenings in the country call for urgent action to eliminate food insecurity across the country, and that the fundamental aspect of what the Service is doing is the enforcement of the extant laws that prohibit food items such as beans, cassava, rice and sorghum, from being exported.
About the Author
Abdullahi Yusuf is a seasoned journalist, communicator and was previously the Deputy Editor-In-Chief and Zonal Manager, News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, Jos, where he retired on December 15, 2021
