Men of the Nigeria Customs Service attached to the Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A, Ikeja have impounded 102 bags of plastic rice meant for distribution within the metropolis.
The bags of rice were recovered from a hidden store located in Ikeja area of Lagos.
It was gathered that the recovery was made after the Comptroller of Customs, FOU Zone, Comptroller Haruna Mammudu received an intelligence information on Tuesday morning about a plot by some criminal elements to distribute the rice to some designated persons in Lagos.
The Comptroller directed an intelligence team to investigate and the team recovered the items locked up in a store.
“A suspect has since been arrested in connection with the plastic rice. He has made useful statement and he is helping the team to get to the root of the matter. He actually admitted receiving the plastic rice from someone who wanted him to help distribute them to some people,” he said.
The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of FOU Zone A, Assistant Superintendent of Customs (ASC), Jerry Attah who confirmed the recovery said that the bags of rice were stockedpiled in an improvised warehouse located in Ikeja.
“Yes, we recovered about 102 bags of plastic rice today. It is label Best Tomato rice. They are packed in 25 kg bags and have no expiring date on it.
“What happened is that some actually got the rice and when she cooked it, she discovered that it did not taste like rice so she informed the customs. Based on her report, our operative raided the warehouse where they were stored. We brought them to our office. We cooked the rice and found it was sticky after cooking. One person has been arrested and he is helping us without our investigation,” he added.
