WARNING: Expired rice floods Nigerian markets

There are reports that expired foreign rice smuggled into the country through Seme, Idiroko, Shaki and Chikanda borders may have flooded Nigerian markets, Leadership reports.

Nigeria shares major borders with Benin Republic at Seme Border (Lagos), Idiroko (Ogun State), Shaki (Oyo State) and Chikanda (Kwara State).

The rice has been exposed to poor storage facilities, rain, weevils and other unhygienic forms of storage, thereby making the commodity toxic and not fit for human consumption anymore.

It was gathered that a larger percentage of rice imported into the Francophone country were meant for sale in Nigeria.

However, the rice was smuggled into the country through methods that include pouring grains of rice into various crevices of vehicles.

The product are also believed to be conveyed in open wooden canoes across creeks and waterways with large quantity of unhygienic waters splashing on them.

Recall that the comptroller-general of customs, Hameed Ali warned Nigerians to desist from patronizing rice smuggled through land borders.

Ali at a joint news conference on illegal rice importation to Nigeria on Tuesday, October 4, in Abuja said 99 per cent of rice smuggled through the land borders is not fit for human consumption. He said NAFDAC samples have showed that smuggled rice through the borders was unfit for human consumption.

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