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Operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) allegedly broke into shops at Kayiero Market in Sango, Ogun State on Wednesday and carted away about 18,000 bags of rice in 12 trucks.
The traders who betrayed emotions said the men of the NCS damaged the padlocks and doors of over 60 shops located inside Sango-Ota motor park, and carted away 18,000 bags of rice and jerry cans of vegetable oil.
A trader, who was informed of the raid by a friend, said she was helpless when she got to the market, as the officers were ready to shoot at anybody.
“When my friend called and told me that customs officers were carrying away bags of rice at the market with trailers, I rushed out of the house and on getting there, I saw soldiers and the Customs officers with guns. They were being ordered to shoot at anybody who went near them.
“Over 70 bags were taken from my shop. That is about N1.5million lost,” she said. She added that a trader named Kudi, alias Dangote, had over 385 bags taken from her shops. About N4million cash, she added, was also stolen from her safe, as situation that has sent her to the hospital.
“We should ask why the Customs officers allowed to pass through the borders. The owners of those shops were not around at 3am when they came. What they did was a display of incompetence,” said the trader.
But, in a swift reaction, the NCS dismissed the figures being bandied by the traders.
Both the Public Relations Officers, Nigeria Customs Service, Ogun Area Command Usman Abubakar and Federal Operating Unit, FOU, Ikeja, Lagos, Jerome Attah, who spoke with Vanguard on phone denied the allegation of seizure of 18,000 bags of rice, stating that the operatives only took away 1,870 bags of rice.
They also said their operatives did not break into anyone’s shop in the market but only went into a warehouse where those contraband goods were kept. They said they only took away 1,870 bags of rice and not 18,000 bags as claimed.
The incident led to a protest by some angry youths and rice sellers who barricaded both sides of the Lagos-Abeokuta Express way shortly before the overhead bridge at Ota with disused tyres and planks, and disrupted vehicular movement.