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The Federal Government is planning to stop the Nigerian Customs
Service from raiding markets to seize imported rice, the Minister of
Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, has said.The minister spoke to State House correspondents on the outcome of
the meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), saying that the
Federal Government has approved N1.12 billion for the purchase of 50
operational “anti-rice smuggling” vehicles to check the persistent
smuggling of the commodity into the country.
“We felt that it is important we don’t want customs going to
seize rice in the markets. Customs should actually act to stop rice
coming in at the border posts and customs indicated that they need
additional vehicles, additional resources as well as of course other
more information-driven strategies to stop it,’’ she stated.
Adeosun said the procurement of the operational vehicles, which
would be deployed to the anti-rice smuggling task force, was also meant
to stop customs officials from invading markets to seize smuggled rice
and harassing traders.
“The second approval was for the purchase of 50 vehicles and
they are going to be deployed for an anti-rice smuggling task force that
is being put together which customs will be leading,” she reveal
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