Nigerians are still shipping food to Niger despite a a gripping food shortage and hardship in Nigeria, and a blockade by the regional bloc Ecowas, the country’s Customs has said.
On Thursday, the Nigeria Customs Service said it intercepted truckloads of food items at Kajji community on the Sokoto-Kebbi road. Kolapo Oladeji, Customs’ coordinating comptroller in charge of joint border patrol team Sector IV, said the trucks were heading to Niger Republic though the Kebbi border.
“We will continue to trail them and block their routes. And whoever is caught in this nefarious act will face the full wrath of the law,” he said.
“Our people are hungry, but they prefer to take the food to other country despite the border closures imposed by Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).”
The regional bloc Ecowas imposed a border closure on Niger last year after the military in that country seized power and detained President Mohamed Bazoum.
This month, the country’s junta, alongside those of Mali and Burkina Faso, announced their countries had exited Ecowas.
Economic hardship
Nigerians are grappling with severe economic hardship, occasioned by shortage of food and rocketing prices. Food inflation reached 35 percent in January, according to new government figures released Thursday.
“We will leave no stone unturned to block food smuggling out of the country because of the current situation in the country,” the customs official said. “We all know that prices of food items have skyrocketed because of the activities of some Nigerians.”
He said his team also seized cans of fuel and drugs being shipped out of the country.
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