Rice, beans worth N12m seized in Kano

The Nigerian Customs Service, Kano/Jigawa Command, has impounded smuggled rice and beans worth over N12m in Kano.

A statement signed by the Public Relations Officer of the command, Malam Isa Danbaba, said, “Despite the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent measures put in place by the Federal and State governments in form of lockdown and closure of entry point, it is unfortunate that desperate smugglers take advantage of the situation and engage in devising all possible methods in order to smuggle rice into Kano.”

Danbaba said on April 15, operatives of Command intercepted a truck loaded with 295 bags of foreign parboiled rice of 50kg each concealed under 351 bags of beans.

“The Duty Paid Value (DPV) of the seized rice is N6,603,870,  and N6,000,741 for beans. The total amount of seized items is N 12,704, 611,” he said.

He added that the seizure was made between Dawakin Tofa- Dawanau- Katsina road.

He quoted the Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Nasir Ahmed, to have warned smugglers to keep away from Kano permanently, saying his officers and men were ready to hit the ground running at all times.