*Pix above: Scene of the auction
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The Nigeria Customs Service, on Monday, announced the suspension of the sale of foodstuffs following a stampede that reportedly killed seven persons at the NCS Old Zonal Headquarters in the Yaba area of Lagos State on Friday.
The Chief Superintendent of Customs and National Public Relations Officer for Comptroller General of Customs, Abdullahi Maiwada, disclosed the suspension of the exercise in a statement on Monday.
Nigeria Customs had said it was selling seized food items at N10,000 per 25kg to alleviate the people’s suffering as a result of the current high cost of living and other economic hardships.
On Friday, a pregnant woman and six others reportedly died in a stampede after some suspected hoodlums attempted to force their way into the Yaba Customs office compound.
Some Lagos residents who thronged the NCS office in Yaba expressed disappointment on Monday following the suspension of the initiative.
When our correspondent visited the Customs office at Yaba on Monday, a mass of people, including the elderly, queued up in front of the gate to buy the rice.
Despite spirited efforts by officers to assure the people that the service was out of stock, the crowd continued to grow.
A bag of 25kg of rice presently sells at between N73,000 and N75,000 in the open market, while Nigeria Customs auction price stands at N10,000 or less./PLEASE SHARE
