20th February, 2024
By Ayorinde Oluokun/Abuja
Vice President Kashim Shettima on Tuesday revealed that the Federal Government has uncovered 32 routes for smuggling foods and intercepted 45 trucks loaded with grains heading out of Nigeria in Sokoto State.
Shettima who was speaking at a on Public Wealth Management in Abuja, said the 45 trucks loaded with maize being taken out of Nigeria were intercepted in one of the routes in Ilela, Sokoto State on Sunday midnight on Mi the nation’s capital.
He said the intervention of the trucks led to an immediate crash in the price of maize in the area.
The Vice President who spoke against the background of rising prices of foodstuffs in the country said,
“Just three nights ago, 45 trucks of maize were caught being transported to neighboring countries. Just in that Ilela axis, there are 32 illegal smuggling routes. And the moment those foodstuff were intercepted, the price of maize came down by N10,000. It came down from N60,000 to N50,000.
The Federal Government has blamed hoarding and illegal smuggling for the spiraling price of foodstuffs in the country.
Last week, the joint border patrol team of the Nigeria Customs Service, Sector 4 also intercepted truck loads of food items heading to Niger Republic through the Kebbi border.
Customs Coordinating comptroller, Kolapo Oladeji, vowed that no stone will be left unturned to block food smuggling because of the current situation in the country.
“We all know that prices of food items have skyrocketed because of the unpatriotic acts of some Nigerians. Our people are hungry but they prefer to take the food to other countries despite the border closures imposed by ECOWAS.
“We will continue to trail them and block their routes and whoever is caught in this nefarious act will face the full wrath of the law,” he said