The Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) has escalated its efforts to crack down on hoarders and smugglers of food items and agricultural produce by deploying more officers to both land and sea borders. This move aims to support the Federal Government’s endeavors in stabilizing food prices nationwide and ensuring food security.
In a statement released on Monday, NAQS emphasized its commitment to aiding the Federal Government’s initiatives by initiating a nationwide crackdown on the smuggling and hoarding of agricultural commodities. This decisive action aligns with the agency’s mandate to regulate the handling of agricultural products within Nigeria, ensuring their safety for consumption and availability at fair prices for the populace.
“As part of the Renewed Hope Agenda of the current administration, we are fully dedicated to enhancing food accessibility for Nigerians by fortifying our borders and cracking down on the smuggling of hoarded agricultural commodities,” stated NAQS.
Established in 2017, NAQS operates with the primary objective of preventing the entry, establishment, and spread of foreign pests and diseases affecting plant, animal, and aquatic resources and products into the country. The agency revealed that it has augmented its workforce at borders to combat the challenges posed by food smuggling and hoarding.
“To address the illegal smuggling and hoarding of agricultural commodities, NAQS is intensifying its surveillance and control measures at all entry and exit points,” the agency asserted. Officers are diligently conducting inspections and monitoring activities across borders and control posts to ensure that no agricultural commodity is unlawfully exported.
Dr. Godwin Audu, the acting Comptroller-General of NAQS, urged the public to report any suspicious activities related to the hoarding or smuggling of agricultural commodities.
Earlier reports indicated that the Nigeria Customs Service intercepted 15 trailers fully loaded with food items attempting to leave the country through the Sokoto State border. The trailers were halted, and the food items were returned to Nigeria as part of measures to stabilize food prices across the country, in accordance with the Federal Government’s mandate.
