Contraband on the menu •There are too many illegal routes, Customs can’t police all —Traders

Rice traders in the Northern part of the country seem not under the threat of Nigerian Customs Service unlike their counterparts elsewhere. OLAKUNLE MARUF, KOLA OYELERE, ISHOLA MICHAEL and AYO AJOGE report on how they get their consignment while still able to escape the long arm of the law.

There is no doubt that rice is one of the best staple foods loved by Nigerians, and despite its rising cost, their love for it has not in any way diminished, except that government policy against imported rice is driving the cost through the roof and that gives every home a concern.

On the first day of the month of April, the news that greeted traders of a popular market in Ibadan, Bodija, was that their shops had been raided by NCS officials in the midnight and an earlier report by Sunday Tribune put the estimate of the seized goods at well over 70 million naira, excluding allegations of missing millions of naira in cash.

In the aftermath of the raid, some of the Bodija traders have been reportedly hospitalised with many of them having confessed that they financed their businesses with loans and the raid had left them with nothing to hold on to. Many others continue to groan in hardship as they are unsure if their businesses will ever return to normal after their goods were seized and their shops sealed.

Exactly a month after the Bodija midnight raid, on the first day of May, another two major markets in the Oyo State capital, Oja’ba and Orita, were also hit, with traders left ruing their loss to the tune of 2,000 bags of rice, among other goods, as men of the NCS appear to be getting infamous for what some have called ‘happy new month raid’.

Following the recent raid, traders at major markets across the South-West have expressed to Sunday Tribune that the recent raids are a signal that any market in the region could be next irrespective of what kind of goods they sell.

While traders in the South-West continue to dread the raid of Customs agents, investigations by Sunday Tribunehave revealed that their counterparts in the North are oblivious of such fear and continue to trade in foreign rice, with the last Customs raid on major Northern markets reported to have been five years ago.

Despite the North-Western states bordering Niger Republic, traders in the region disclosed that the recent closing and reopening of land borders by the Federal Government had little effect on the free flow of foreign rice into the country.

 

‘The closure of the border by the FG had little effect on getting goods into the country’

‘There are too many illegal border routes for Customs officials to cover’

Dealers in rice, especially the foreign type, in Sokoto State disclosed that they continue to acquire their goods, especially foreign rice, from the ‘source’ while the recent closing and opening of the land border in the state did not have much impact on their markets.

They stated that theyhave continued to display their products since they do not have any other business or job.

A rice seller in Sokoto metropolis, Alhaji Muhammad Imran, spoke to Sunday Tribune that the porous nature of the border would make it difficult for Customs or any other security agency to properly monitor it.

He explained that there are over 100  illegal routes scattered in different part of Illela border town where commodities are regularly smuggled into the country.

When pressed further to ascertain if his supply was through the porous border, he said he got his commodities from the “source”.

Another trader in foodstuffs at the popular old market in the Sokoto State capital, Mallam Faruk Mukhtar, also said there was no time he was short of rice to sell.

He added that during the time the country’s borders were ordered shut by President Muhammadu Buhari, his supply was only reduced as he continued to get goods. But like Alhaji Imran, he, refused to name that “source”.

Mukhtar condemned the attitude of the government in putting a ban on the importation of foreign rice without putting a mechanism to control the price of local rice.

“Can you tell me why people will not ask for foreign rice when you look at the price of these two products in the market? The difference in their price per 50kg bag is just about 3,000 naira and you still expect people to go for the local one?

“How can someone explain the criteria which make local rice, without any payment to any government agencies in form of tax or anything, to be more expensive than foreign rice?

“Imagine if the rice being smuggled into the country passes through normal routes, it means they will cost cheaper than what they cost at the moment. So, tell me why would someone buy something more expensive when you have a cheaper alternative?” Mukhtar further quizzed.

 

Thriving smuggling trade

When Sunday Tribune visited Illela town, a border community in Sokoto State connecting Nigeria and Niger Republic, hundreds of motorcycles and re-configured vehicles were seen involved in the business of smuggling.

When contacted, a motorcycle rider popularly called Okada, who was engaged to cross into Niger Republic through one of the identified illegal routes confirmed to Sunday Tribune that rice and other products are regularly smuggled through the routes.

The commercial cyclist further confirmed that smuggling rice into the country with a motorcycle cost N1,000 per bag, adding that motorcycles carry between four and five bags on a trip through the bush and can do that as many times as possible in a day, depending on the number of bags involved.

He, however, explained that it was impossible for security agents to cover all the illegal routes as they have the edge as indigenes of the town.

“We don’t go through the land border, and they (Customs) can’t cover all the illegal routes in this area at all.We are the owners of the town; we know where to take without any hitch. Your own is to take us to where your goods are and we will deliver it to you, God willing,” Okada added.

He then said that some vehicles were re-configured for the same smuggling business and they charge N500 per bag because they have larger capacity than bikes.

“I am sure you know they will carry more quantity than us though they can’t be as fast as we motorcycle riders due to the terrain of the road.

“And when it’s the rainy season, we get more patronage because most vehicles afraid of being sunk in the mud,” he further disclosed.

‘The last time we experienced Customs raid was five years ago’

When Sunday Tribune interacted with traders dealing in foreign rice in Kano State, many of them expressed that it would be impossible to stop smuggling of foreign rice into the country as rice is a staple food and local production would not cater for the high market demands.

A trader at the popular Singer market in Kano State capital, who wanted to be identified as Alhaji Ibrahim, opined that no one can stop the smuggling of foreign rice into the country.

According to him, “Aside Magateri border, there are too many porous borders across the state and across the country where contraband goods, including rice, are smuggled in.

“It may seem hard to smuggle goods into the country, but the smugglers know their ways. It is their business,” he stressed.

Another trader at Singer market, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, confirmed that the rice was smuggled into the country.

“So far there is still what is called Nigeria, smuggling of goods will continue,” he said disclosing that Customs operatives hardly bothered them or raided to confiscate the contrabands.

The last time Customs officials raided the market, according to him,  “was about five years ago.”

Other traders who spoke with Sunday Tribune stated that they do not publicly display foreign rice but they secretly sell to people they know very well, as displaying them would mean an open invitation to the Customs operatives.

A check at the three major markets in Bauchi metropolis, Wunti, Central and Muda Lawal, revealed that such imported items are rarely displayed for the fear of seizure by the operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service, thereby driving the prices up.

At the Wunti market, a bag of foreign rice now costs between N28,000 and N30,000, depending on producer while Nigerian rice sells for about N24,000 per bag of 50kg.

Sunday Tribune learnt that most of the imported rice comes in through smuggling and deals with security operatives on the roads, including police officers and Customs operatives.

A trader in rice, Adamu Mai Shinkafa, disclosed that Customs men have not raided the markets in Bauchi but they always apprehend consignments on the road, thereby forcing them to pay huge sums of money to get the seized items back. He added that not every of the seized goods is eventually released to them.

He narrated that Customs operatives recently apprehended four of their trailers and even shot one of the drivers, adding that the incident forced them to close shops for a period.

Musa Lawal, who sells food items at the Muda Lawal market, said that many of them have lost huge amounts of money to seized goods by the operatives of the Customs, forcing them to slightly increase the prices of commodities.

He however commended the steps by the National Assembly which directed the Nigeria Customs Service to return the goods seized recently in Ibadan because, according to him, it was uncalled for.

As for Abubakar Yau who sells at the Central Market, Bauchi, the Federal Government should be compassionate on Nigerians and make local rice more available and affordable in order to discourage importation of the foreign ones.

 

What we are doing to check smuggling of foreign rice

Nigeria Customs Service spokespersons in interviews with Sunday Tribune stated the readiness of the service to put a stop to smuggling, insisting that the NCS had the backing of the law to carry out raids wherever they might be directed to through intelligence report.

Custom’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), in Kebbi State, Nasiru Manga, (DSC), revealed to Sunday Tribune that men of his Command recently seized about 500 bags of smuggled rice hidden under bags of onion by smugglers.

“I am sure you remember what happened in Ibadan and some other parts of the country recently where Customs officers invaded the stores and confiscated all the illegal foreign rice in the process. It is a legal activity backed by the law of the land and we can carry out such routine development anytime we deemed it fit or necessary,” Manga said.

According to him, smugglers devise so many means to outfox them but due to adequate intelligence gathering, they were able to intercept them.

“Funny is the way these characters use 35-litre jerry cans to conceal parboiled rice as if they contain petroleum products used by rice farmers to operate their pumping machines for irrigation.

“You know our local rice farmers here use petroleum products to operate their pumping machine for irrigation rice farming, so as to look and sound as if it is petrol that is inside the jerry cans.”

“Also, most of these undesirable elements look for empty bags of Labana rice and Waccot rice being produced here in Kebbi State, use their bags and fill them with smuggled rice to look as if the products belong to Labana or Waccot,” Manga added.

He, however, acknowledged that there was no way Customs could adequately police all the illegal routes being used for smuggling across the country, thus the rationale for such raids. He added that the NCS would, however, need “patriotic citizens who will collaborate with the security agencies to stop these nefarious activities.”

The Assistant Superintendent (AS), Kano /Jigawa Command of the NCS, Abdullahi-Lagos Abiola, echoing Manga on the power conferred by the Customs and Excise Management Act on the Customs department, to raid wherever smuggled goods are kept said in Kano, similar raids could be carried out but the service, of recent,  has not got enough credible intelligence to do so.

“As of now, we do not have reasons to raid any market in search of foreign rice, but if we have cogent reasons on the influx of prohibited items into the market, the command will not hesitate to raid anywhere: either market or a warehouse at any point in time.

“As I told you, the command is empowered to embark on raiding anywhere even without any warrant. We only ensure that anything we do is backed by the law guiding the command.

“However, I can assure you from our command, that we are trying our best in curbing smuggling of prohibited goods in conjunction with the Comptroller-General strike force and other security operatives.

“Just two weeks ago, the Command showcased a lot of seized goods and rice was part of those goods. About 750 bags  were seized  by the command and this is to tell you that we are doing our best in curtailing smuggling of contraband goods,  rice inclusive,” he said.

•Additional reporting by Kola Muhammed

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