The Adamawa/Taraba Command of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has arrested 15 people for re-bagging foreign rice to sell as local rice.
The Controller in charge of Adamawa/Taraba Command, Kamardeen Olumoh, who was briefing newsmen on Tuesday on the development, said the suspects were arrested in a warehouse in Yola.
Olumoh said that the suspects were found with 900 bags of rice with duty paid valued at N14.5 million.
“We have 15 suspects including the manager of the warehouse and some labourers. We can assure you that they will be prosecuted according to the law,” he said.
The Customs Controller warned smugglers in the area, pointing out that the command was seriously committed to checking their activities.
He said that the command would soon embark on raiding markets for foreign rice.
“In fact, we had a meeting with Yola market officials and cautioned them on selling foreign rice. We need to assist our local farmers who I am pretty sure can feed the nation,” he said.
He also said a truck carrying reign rice was intercepted with three people along Mubi-Yola road.
He said the rice, hidden under bags of beans and other grains, has a duty paid value of N10.3 million.