Officers of the federal operations
unit of the Nigeria Customs Service in Ikeja, Lagos, south-west Nigeria have
intercepted 102 bags of plastic rice.
Mohammed Haruna, FOU comptroller told news
agency of Nigeria that the rice is branded beat tomato rice with no date of
manufacture.
According to Haruna, officers
of the unit intercepted the plastic rice along Ikeja area on Monday, adding
that a suspect was arrested in connection with the seizure.
His
words: “Before now, I thought it was a rumour that the plastic rice is all over
the country but with this seizure, I have been totally convinced that such rice
exists.”
“We
have done the preliminary analysis on the plastic rice. After boiling, it was
sticky and only God knows what would have happened if people consumed it.
“I
advise those economic saboteurs who see yuletide season as a peak period for
nefarious acts to desist from such illegal business.
“The unit
has decided other operational modalities that will make them run for their
monies and count their losses, ‘’ NAN quotes the controller as saying.
He
described smuggling as a global phenomenon, adding that such act could not be
curbed entirely but could be brought to its barest minimum.
Haruna
appreciated well-meaning Nigerians who provided the service with prompt
information that led to the discovery of the bags of plastic rice.
The
controller, however, advised the media to educate the public on the existence
of plastic food, adding that it was no longer a rumour.
Haruna
assured the public that the distribution point of the particular plastic rice
seized by the unit had been blocked with immediate effect.He said that
investigation was still ongoing.
The controller said the unit
would hand over the plastic rice to the National Agency for Food and Drug
Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for proper investigation.
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