Customs lock out Oyo Commissioner, others returning alleged Weevil infested rice

The Oyo State Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Jacob Ojemuyiwa and other officials of the state government were on Wednesday denied entry at the main gate of the Nigeria Customs Service, Oyo/Osun Area Command, Ibadan, as they attempted returning the 1,800 bags of rice donated to the state as part of COVID-19 pandemic palliatives.

It would be recalled that the state government had said it would return the rice because it was not good for human consumption, claiming it had been infected by Weevils.

The Customs and the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Social Development and Disaster Management, Sadiya Farouq however disagreed with the state government, insisting that nothing was wrong with the rice sent to that state.

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A claim by the Humanitarian Affairs minister that the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration (NAFDAC), inspected and certified it good for human consumption was however debunked by the agency, which claimed it knows nothing about the consignment sent to Oyo and Osun states.

The Commissioner, while addressing journalists after his team were locked out of the Customs Zonal headquarters in Ibadan, said: “The state had written a letter to the Nigeria Customs Service indicating that the bags of the weevil-infested rice would be returned.”

He also disclosed that the team would report back to the State Executive Council for necessary steps.

A Customs officer, who spoke under condition of anonymity, said the delegate was turned back because the command had not received any directive to receive the rejected bags of rice.

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