President Bola Tinubu has instructed the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to return food items seized at border communities to their rightful owners, with a stipulation that the items be sold in Nigerian markets.
The directive was revealed by the Controller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, during a meeting with residents of border areas at Kongolam and Mai’Adua border stations in Katsina on Saturday.
Adeniyi explained that President Tinubu’s decision was not based on legal guidelines but reflected his profound generosity towards Nigeria.
“In doing so, he has directed that those food items that were going out of the country and 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,” Adeniyi stated.
He further emphasized that the NCS would closely monitor compliance with this directive to ensure that the returned food items are indeed sold in Nigerian markets as intended.
“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 added.