Fifty trucks conveying foodstuffs out of the country to the Niger Republic were intercepted on Monday by the Zamfara State Transport Agency.
The agency, which was enforcing a presidential directive meant to arrest the food crisis and hoarding, grounded the trucks loaded with assorted grains.
President Bola Tinubu last Thursday ordered the trio of the National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the Director-General of the Department of State Services, Yusuf Bichi, to collaborate with state governors and go after those hoarding foodstuff.
On Sunday, the Nigeria Customs Service said it stopped 15 trailers conveying foodstuff through the Sokoto borders to Niger Republic,
Also, the Kano State Government sealed 10 warehouses said to be hoarding food items.
Confirming the interception of the 50 trucks in Zamfara, Shehu Sani, an indigene of Zurmi town in Zurmi Local Government Area of the state, told one of our correspondents on the telephone on Monday that the vehicles were stopped at Gidan Jaja village, close to the Nigerian borders with Niger Republic.
The spokesman for ZARTO, Sale Shinkafi, alleged that the trucks were attempting to smuggle the food items to the Niger Republic.
He said, “Our men intercepted 50 vehicles loaded with assorted grains while trying to smuggle them out of the country. We directed the owners to go back and sell the commodities to Nigerians at the appropriate prices.”
Shinkafi explained that the trucks were not accompanied by the agency’s officials but were only directed to return to their respective localities and sell the commodities at affordable prices.
He said, “You know that our main concern is to make sure that the food items are not smuggled out of the country. We only refused to allow them to get into Niger Republic.”
Meanwhile the Federal Government said it has uncovered 32 routes through which food items are smuggled out of the country.
Speaking at a conference on Public Wealth Management held in Abuja, on Tuesday, Vice President Kashim Shettima said on the midnight of Sunday, 45 trucks loaded with maize were intercepted while making their way to neighbouring countries.
“Just three nights ago, 45 trucks of maize were caught being transported to neighbouring countries. Just in that Ilela axis, there are 32 illegal smuggling routes. And the moment those food stuff were intercepted, the price of maize came down by N10,000. It came down from N60,000 to N50,000.
“So, there are forces that are hell-bent on undermining our nation but this is the time for us to coalesce into a singular entity,” he said.
Is it the president that doing this. But everything that is happening is Tinubu. Let’s says the truth and let the devil be ashamed. We are the one one causing problems for ourselves. Therefore stop mentioning the president name