President Bola Tinubu has directed the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to return the food items seized at border communities to the rightful owners.
This was stated by the Comptroller General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi in Katsina while meeting with people from border areas at Kongolam and Mai’Adua stations, adding that the President put a caveat that the owners must be willing to sell the items in Nigerian markets.
Adeniyi said that President Tinubu chose to exercise his authority not based on legal criteria, but rather out of a genuine sense of goodwill towards Nigeria, The SunNews reports.
Adeniyi said: “In doing so, he has directed that those food items that were going out of the country that have been seized in various border areas should be returned to the owners on the condition that those goods would be sold in the Nigerian markets.”
“So, we will be monitoring you to know if there is a violation of this. Those food items will be returned, and it is a directive that we will pass them back into the Nigerian markets,” Adeniyi said.
Adeniyi also revealed that President Tinubu will choose to reopen borders very soon and confirmed that the Service will prioritise eliminating barriers that hinder free trade, aligning with the current government’s goal of promoting economic growth.
He continued: “We are conscious of the concerns of the border communities, particularly with regards to the number of checkpoints and the closure of land borders.
“I assure you that our operations are always guided by law, and we only operate on delegated powers. We have communicated the concerns and complaints by residents of the border communities to the President and because he has listening ears, he directed that we should release confiscated food items, on the condition that they will only be sold in the Nigerian markets.
“We know that there are markets around our borders, and we know that not all of them are targeted at taking goods across the borders.
“We will continue to monitor and ensure that food produced in Nigeria remains and is consumed in Nigeria. This is because we are in a period of national emergency that has to do with food insufficiency.
“And that is why we must collectively work together to assist the government to enforce the various laws prohibiting exportation of food items at this time.”
