By Abimboola Ogunnaike
President Bola Tinubu has directed the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, to give back the food items they seized at the border communities to the rightful owners, with the requirement that the items should be sold in Nigerian markets.
The Controller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, made this disclosure Katsina on Saturday, 9 March, 2024 while meeting with people from border areas at Kongolam and Mai’Adua border stations.
According to Adeniyi, the president had made a decision to use his authority not based on legal guidelines, “but rather reflecting the deep sense of generosity he holds towards Nigeria.”
“In doing so, he has directed that those food items that were going out of the country that have been seized in various border areas should be returned to the owners on the condition that those goods would be sold in the Nigerian markets.
“So, we will be monitoring you to know if there is a violation of this. Those food items will be returned, and it is a directive that we will pass them back into the Nigerian markets,” Adeniyi said.