Senate investigates Customs officers’ invasion of rice traders’ shops at Bodija market

The Senate has ordered an investigation into the alleged invasion of Bodija market in Ibadan by officials of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) during which bags of rice and other items valued at N85 million were taken away.
The Senate ordered the investigation on Wednesday following the receipt of a petition from the Ibadan Foodstuff Sellers Association addressed to the President of Senate, Ahmed Lawan.
Immediately the petition was tabled before it by Senator Kola Balogun (APC- Oyo ), the senate mandated its Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions to investigate the matter.
In the petition to the Senate President, the association said inter alia:
“The above named association write to report the unfortunate night invasion of the Bodija International Market, Ibadan, and the forceful breakage of the Rice traders’ shops by men of the Nigerian Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit, Lagos, on March 31 to April.
“Our shops and warehouses were forcefully opened in our absence and the following items were carted away: 3,046 bags of Rice at N26,000 per bag – N79,196,000, 14 25kg Vegetable Oil; Cash of N4,862,000.00, and one 15kg bag of Gari.
“It is pertinent to report to you, Sir, that five shops still remain under special white padlock, the same that were put on the forcefully broken ones.
“The Ibadan Customs Unit has advised us not to unlock the locked shops for reasons unknown to us and owners of the shops have been rendered helpless.
“They cannot access their shops and neither can they trade in anything, their families have been suffering.
“We seek the intervention of your highly esteemed office for the immediate return of all the items and cash carted away from our shops and warehouses.
“We also seek Senate’s investigation into the reasons behind the forceful raid on our shops.
“We demand that such raid should stop henceforth and this one should be the last of such action on the innocent peaceful traders in our market.
“We demand that tight security arrangements be put in place in the market by the government to protect our products after closure from business activities of the day to avoid looting of our shops by hoodlums who might want to follow the illegal footsteps of the men of the Nigerian Customs Service.
“We demand that the Nigeria Customs should be warned against the use of the crude and cruel method of infringing on traders’ properties and products.
“That the action of the Nigeria Customs is seriously infringing on our rights to trade in legitimate items within the country as the midnight invasion violates all democratic principles.”
President of Senate, Ahmad Lawan, referred the petition to the Sen. Ayo Akinyelure-led Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petition for investigation.