The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has clarified that the disposal of seized items, including food products such as rice, is guided strictly by provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023 and the agency's internal operational procedures.

The clarification followed public reactions trailing recent anti-smuggling operations by the Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone 'A', where operatives foiled 473 smuggling attempts within eight weeks and seized contraband goods worth over N5.5 billion, including 8,794 bags of foreign rice, equivalent to about 15 trailer loads, alongside cannabis, cocaine and other prohibited items.

Speaking with Vanguard in response to inquiries on what becomes of confiscated food items after seizure, the spokesperson of the Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Chief Superintendent of Customs, CSC, Hussein Abdullahi, explained that the law clearly stipulates how forfeited goods are handled.

According to him, the Section 245(2) of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023 empowers the Service to dispose of seized items only after they have been condemned by a court of competent jurisdiction.

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"The law is clear about the mode of disposal of seized items. The Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023, Section 245(2), empowers the Service to dispose of seized forfeited items only when condemned by a court of law," the officer said.

The FOU Spokesman also noted that the Nigeria Customs Service's Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) on disposal of perishable goods and other seized items provide detailed guidelines on how such materials are managed.