Imo traders bemoan midnight invasion of market by Customs

By Damian Duruiheoma, OwerriRice sellers in Relief Market in Owerri, the Imo State capital on Tuesday, alleged that men of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, Federal Operating Unit Zone C, broke their shops and carted away thousands of bags of rice in the wee hours of last weekend.Speaking separately with newsmen, the traders said the men of the NCS damaged the padlocks and doors of over fifteen shops located inside Relief Market, and carted away about 1800 bags of rice.They also accused the NCS officials of carrying their saves where they left the sales they made during the weekend.According to one of the rice sellers, who simply identified herself as Madam Constance, customs operatives invaded the market around 1.00 am with about four trucks to cart away the bags of rice.Apart from carrying about 400 bags of rice from my shop, they also stole my coffer, where I left the sum of N400,000. They carried the safe because I padlocked it very well such that it would be difficult to open there. As Im talking to you now, that I collected that with which I bought the rice from our cooperative because we contribute weekly thrifts that allowed me to pick third place. I dont know what to do now, she said.READ ALSO:Okorocha cannot hijack Imo varsity, says govtAnother rice dealer who preferred anonymity, said though what was carried from his shop were hundreds of bags of foreign rice, but the invaders also broke his drawer and took away close to N300, 000.I was in my house around 1.45 am, one of the security men in the market who is an Hausa man, called me that some customs men came to the market and forced them to lie down. They broke into about fifteen shops including my own and left with up to four trucks, he said.When contacted, the NCS through its Public Relations Officers, Nigeria Customs Service, FOU Zone C, Owerri, Jerry Attah, dismissed the allegations, saying that no such operation was carried out by its operatives in Owerri.
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