Customs raids Adamawa market for smuggled rice, contraband

Web Editor | ConsumerConnect

Officers and men of the Adamawa/Taraba Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in cooperation with other security agencies, Friday, December 20, 2019, raided Mubi border market in search of foreign rice and other contraband.

Mubi is regarded as the commercial hub of Adamawa State and border town close to Cameroon, and its closeness to Cameroon is said to have made the town “a nerve centre of smuggling activities”.

Channel TV reports the customs personnel, with reinforcement from the Nigerian Police, stormed the commercial border town main market and raided many shops containing foreign items, including rice, and evacuated them.

While some of the traders who got wind of the Friday raid locked up their shop to avoid arrest, the exercise, however, was reported to have thrown the entire market into confusion “as people scampered to safety on sighting security operatives.”

The Customs raid resulted in the seizure of many bags of foreign rice and the arrest of three suspects.

According to the Comptroller of Customs, Adamawa-Taraba Command, Kamardeen Olumoh, the raid was carried out in compliance with a directive from Abuja to mop up all smuggled items from the country, especially foreign rice in view of the border close to curb smuggling, boost local rice production, and enhance the nation’s economy.

However, there has been a mixed reaction over the raid. While marketers lament and condemn the raid as they counted their losses, others considered it as a positive step to boost local production of rice, said the report.