Killer Rice has flooded Nigerian market, Governors warn

Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has
warned Nigerians to be wary of
consuming killer rice that has flooded
the market.

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A statement by the forum’s Media
and Public Affairs, Abulrazaque
Bello-Barkindo, said a communiqué
issued by the forum in Abuja last
week held that the imported rice
contains poisonous substance that
make people sick and even kill some
who consume them.

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The statement however lamented
that despite the poisonous nature of
the rice, the banned product still
finds its way to the Nigerian market
on increasing rate.
“Governors expressed concern that
Nigerians were either falling sick or
losing their lives to the consumption
of this substandard product even
though some states have commenced
elaborate efforts to produce rice in
commercial quantity with a view to
halting the nation’s over-reliance on
staples that can be produced locally.

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“Most governors of the states that
have already embraced the back to
land mantra of this administration
frowned at the situation where
Nigerians snubbed the locally
produced commodity in preference
for foreign ones which were most of
the time stale, contaminated or even
fake,” the statement said.
However, Comptroller-General of the
Nigeria Customs Service, Col.
Hameed Ali who was represented by
Deputy Comptroller General,
Dangaladima Aminu said that
although some measures have and
are being put in place to salvage the
situation, border communities,
however, are part of the challenges
to curbing the menace.

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The Customs boss said this while
briefing the Governors’ Forum on the
way out of the killer rice danger.
“It may interest you to note that a
motorcycle can make up to 30 trips
with six 50kg bags of rice per night
depending on the distance. And
when the border communities are
not smuggling the produce
themselves, they are aiding or
providing cover for smugglers.”
He informed the governors that the
Customs “takes the issue of
smuggling of rice seriously, having
identified the danger posed by it to
the economic well-being and health
hazards it constitutes to the Nigerian
people.”