Oyo Govt Dumps Alleged ‘Infested’ 1,800 Bags Of Rice By Customs Gate
LAGOS APRIL 30TH (NEWSRANGERS)-The The imbroglio between the Oyo State government and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) over the alleged ‘ infested’ 1,800 bags of rice continued on Wednesday with Oyo State government dumping the bag of rice by the gate of Oyo State Command of Nigeria Customs Service located at Ibadan.
The Oyo state
Government took the action as Oyo /Osun
Customs command closed its gate and refused the state government access into its Ibadan
premises to return the bags of rice.
Keeping to its word to return the rice deemed infested and unfit for
consumption, the Oyo State government had loaded the bags in two trucks and
driven to the Oyo/Osun command headquarters of the NCS only to meet closed
gates manned by men of the service.
Speaking at the gate after being denied entry, Oyo State Commissioner for
Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Jacob Ojemuyiwa, said the state had
earlier written a letter to the Customs Service to notify it of its intention to
return the “infested” rice.
While expressing shock at the Customs barring the trucks from being driven in,
Ojemuyiwa said the state executive council would determine the next steps to
take on the matter.
For some hours, Tribune Online saw that the trucks of rice remained outside
while the drivers and loaders said they awaited further directive from the
state government’s officials on whether the trucks would be left at the Customs
entrance, driven back to the state secretariat or taken to another place.
Speaking with Tribune Online, Public Relations Officer, Oyo/Osun command of the
Customs Service, Abdullahi-Lagos Abiola, said the command was yet to get any
directive from the Customs headquarters to receive the bags of rice.
He pointed out that the Customs service had not officially received the rice
from the Oyo State government, adding that the state government left the trucks
outside their gate at its own risk.
“There is no official letter asking us to receive the rice. When we gave out
the rice, we had an official letter directing us from the headquarters.
“How do we receive alleged spoilt rice when we do not have such letter from the
headquarters? We await directive from the headquarters whether to receive to
not.
They have not handed over to us, so the rice is outside there at their own
risk,” Abdullahi-Lagos said.
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