Scores protest against Customs seizure of 700 bags of rice in Ilorin

Date: 2019-08-30

Scores disrupted activities at the popular Oja-Tuntun Market in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital on Thursday to protest against seizure of 700 bags of rice from a warehouse.

The warehouse belongs to a rice merchant Mount Olive Nigeria limited.

The protesters accused men of the Customs Service of carrying out unlawful arrest, detention and seizure of rice believed to be Nigerian produce from a warehouse in Ilorin.

The protest was led by Chairman of Mount Olive Nigeria Ltd and his staff at the Oja-Tuntun office of the company.

Speaking reporters during the protest the company's chairman, Ademola Julius said he has in the last four years has been supporting the cause of Nigeria rice to grow the economy but unfortunately men of the Nigerian Customs have been threatening his business.

According to him: "Men of the Nigerian Customs Services came to my warehouse around 2am in the night broke my door, tied my security man down and carted away my rice. 704 bags of Nigerian rice.

I have over ten trailers of the rice inside my warehouse that are purely Nigerian rice.

"Ask any producer of rice in Nigeria, Mount Olive Nigeria Ltd have been supporting them because I am the distributor of Nigerian rice in the whole South West and Nigeria customs just came to frustrate me.

"I have 480 staff under me. I don't know what they want from me. I pay my tax regularly. If they are saying I'm not doing my business in the orderly way, what is the orderly way they want me to follow?

"I have reported to the police. Customs men attacked my company unlawfully and that is why I'm protesting with all my staff for Nigeria government to come to my aid.

"They said I should come and see the AGC today and when I got to their office they said he was not around. Three of my staff were locked up and they collected N50,000 from me before they were released.

"One of my friends who also came was locked up."

While calling on the federal government to intervene, he demanded for the unconditional release of his 704 bags of rice.

"Nigerian Customs service, Kwara state command should release all my bags of rice unconditionally. Presidency should look into the matter.

"I have branches all over the country, my company is in 23 locations across the country they should come and investigate. We are ready to cooperate with whoever wants to come and investigate us.

"When I got to Olam farm in Nasarawa state in 2014, I was surprised with what I saw there and I resolved in my mind to support Nigerian rice because it will assist in tackling the issue of unemployment in the country.

"But here I am being frustrated by the men of Nigerian Customs. They should stop frustrating legitimate business owner like me," he said.

Another protester, Akeem Ayedun, said the "men of the Nigerian Customs did not carry out their investigation to ascertain the rice Mount Olive had in his warehouse.

"If they are claiming to act on intelligent information, I want to say that they had wrong information about the rice.

Spokesperson of the service in Kwara state, S.S Okpo, confirmed that some bags of rice were seized.

She added that the matter was still being investigated.

She promised that the service would soon make public its investigation and the amount of seizures made.

Source

 


Cloud Tag: What's trending

Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.

Ilorin Curfew     Yoruba     Femi Ogunsola     NFAI     Haruna Tambiri Mohammed     Senate     Oluwole Dupe     College Of Education     Afeyin-Olukuta     SUBEB     Abdulwahab Olarewaju Issa     Kehinde Baale     Kayode Ishola     Abatemi-Usman     Laboratory-to-Product     Babatunde Idiagbon     Yakubu Mohammed Abdullahi     Kwara 2015     Idowu Laro     Baruten     Jare Olatundun     Idiagbon     Hassan A. Saliu     Metro Park     Abdulwahab Ololele     Adesoye     Rapheal Ashaolu     UNILORIN Alumni Association     Yusuf Aiyedun     Kaosarah Adeyi     Suleiman Mora Omar     Owode Market     Ilorin Talaka Parapo (ITP)     QuickWin     Owo Arugbo     Adewuyi Funmilayo     Aremu Odolaye     Zulkifli Ibraheem     Saheed Alakoso     Mope Dasuki Belgore     Offorjama     Ahmad Olanrewaju Belgore     Shehu Alimi Foundation     Adedipe     David Oyedepo     Abdulrahman Abdulrazak     Col. Adedipe     Face Masks     Ilesha-Baruba-Gwanara     Prince Sunday Fagbemi     YAKOOYO     Adijat Adebiyi     Abdullahi G. Mohammad     Sai Kayi     Okin Biscuit     Ilesha Gwanara Road     Kwara University Of Education     John Mayokun Dada     KWASEIC     Radio SBS     Ibrahim Abdulkadir Abikan     Tunji Arosanyin     Ilorin     Afin Descendants Union Of Odo-Owa     Joseph Alex Offorjama     ASKOMP     Temi Kolawole     Kamaldeen Gambari     Oniyangi     Sabi     Toun Okewale-Sonaiya     Abdulraheem Yusuf     Babajide Ajayi     Mahmud Ajeigbe     Alabi Olayemi Abdulrazak     Doyin Awoyale     Abdulrazaq Akorede    

Cloud Tag: What's trending

Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.

Kabir Shagaya     Ibrahim Sulu Gambari     Sadiq Umar     Alabi Olayemi Abdulrazak     Ayekale     Esinrogunjo     Abdulrauf Yusuf     College Of Arabic And Islamic Legal Studies     Oba Sulaiman Asude     Sherif Sagaya     Sulyman Abdulkareem     Christian Association Of Nigeria     AGM Professional Services     Magaji Are     Mohammed Saidu     Kola Olota     Shehu Jimoh     Oke-Ode     Abdulkadir Remi Hawawu     Jimoh Akani     Lanre Issa-Onilu     Gurei     Hauwa Nuru     Igosun     Centre For Digital Economy     Kpotum Mohammed Baba     Gbenga Olawepo     Patience Jonathan     Isiaka Danmeromu     Maja     Chartered Institute Of Personnel Management Of Nigeria     United Nigeria Congress Party     Awili Pedro     AbdulRasaq Abdulmajeed Alaro     Yahya Mohammed     Nigeria Foundation For Artificial Intelligence     IYA ALFA NLA     Tunji Moronfoye     Usman Yunusa     Isin     Adekunle David Dunmade     Ibrahim Mohammed     Isiaka Abdulrazak     Mahmud Durosinlohun Atiku     Babata     Salami Adekunle     Dar-Al-Handasah Consultants Ltd     Ajibola Saliu Ajia     Sun Qing Rong     Abdulrahman Abdullahi Kayode     Erubu Oba Zubair     Durbar Festival     Valsolar Consortium     Sidikat Alaya     LABTOP     Adanla-Irese     Amada Jidda     Sobi FM     Yusuf Mubarak     Omu Aran     Muhammed Mahe Abdulkadir     ASMAU PLAZA     Muhammad Sirajo Aliyu     Facemasks     Iqra Books     Yahaya Seriki Gambari     Akume     Umar Ahmed Gunu     Gbugbu     Yomi Ogunsola     Ekweremadu     Idowu Laro     Pakata Patriots     Sobi     Yusuf Babatunde Abdulwahab     KSIRS     Laboratory-to-Product