5,000 bags of rice worth N124, 776, 600 expire in customs warehouse

About 5,646 bags of 50kg foreign parboiled rice worth N124, 776, 600 seized by the Western Marine Command of the Nigeria Customs Service have expired in the warehouse.

The expired bags of rice are said to have been allocated to undisclosed Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) but are yet to be evacuated due to logistics problems.

The Area Controller of the command, Comptroller Boyiliya Binga told journalists that some of the seized bags of smuggled rice which have been in the customs warehouse for close to two years are no longer edible.

According to the WMC boss, the items included vegetable oil, bags of shoes, used tyres, among other items.

In one of the recent seizures, the Comptroller declared that the command nabbed 806 loaves of cannabis with Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N21,157,500 in August, 2018.

Other items include; 219 kegs of vegetable oil worth N2,628,000; 500 bales of cloth with DPV of N42,000,000; 42 sacks of shoes with DPV of N6,413,400 among others.

He however stated that the total DPV of the items seized is N297.887,446.00.

The amphibian arm of the service said due to massive seizure in the command, “Our warehouse filled with items seized, we therefore have no space for more seizures to be kept.

“The CAC wishes to appeal to states which were allocated items to IDPs from the HQ to come and evacuate them. This will help create space in the Government Warehouse for more seizures.”

Speaking further on challenges of the command, Comptroller Binga said dearth of operational equipment such as boats and vehicles had impacted negatively on the efficiency of the command’s anti-smuggling activities.

On assumption of office at the command, the CAC has been able to furnish three structures to make up for shortage of offices in the command as well as repair three sea going boats with the assistance of the Comptroller General of Customs and his management team.

The Controller however promised to improve on its present achievements especially as the officers and men of the Service are being motivated through promotions, welfare packages and supply of vehicles and tyres to the command.