The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has intercepted 21 food trucks heading to neighbouring countries.
Announcing the seizure in a statement on its X handle on Tuesday, the anti-graft agency said the items were heading towards N’djamena, Chad Republic, Central African Republic, and Cameroon.
The seizure was made by operatives of the EFCC Maiduguri Zonal Command, it said.
“The trucks were intercepted in a sting operation at major exit routes along Kalabiri/Gamboru Ngala and Bama roads, Borno State,” the statement read.
“Investigation showed food items cleverly concealed in the trucks that would have gone undetected but for the eagle-eyed vigilance of operatives of the Commission.
“Further checks showed that the Waybills covering the goods carried by trucks indicated their destinations as N’djamena, Chad Republic, Central Africa Republic, and Cameroon respectively.
The commission stated that the arrest of the trucks is expected to stem the tide of food insecurity occasioned by unscrupulous antics of smugglers across the country.
Noting that the arrested suspects are being profiled, the agency vowed to charge them to court as soon as investigations are concluded.
The seizure is coming on the heels of the rising cost of food items in Nigeria. With inflation reaching 29.90 percent, the cost of living has reached the rooftops, prompting pockets of protests in several parts of the country.
Some warehouses and food trucks have also been hijacked. However, the Federal Government has rolled out measures to cushion the impacts of the high cost of living and will begin the distribution of grains nationwide later in the week.
President Bola Tinubu’s government has consistently called for patience for his government’s reforms including the floating of the naira and the declaration of an end to the subsidy regime to take root. He insists there is no backing down on them.
