The Nigeria Customs Service has been directed by President Goodluck Jonathan to commence a serious clampdown on smuggling and smugglers of rice in to the country.

This followed complains by local producers of the most eaten staple food in the country on the negative effect the activities of smugglers has on the local production of the item.

Producers of rice, our correspondent learnt, recently met with the President in Abuja where they lodged complaints about the effect of smuggling on local production. The meeting, it was gathered, had officials of the Customs service in attendance.

It was further learnt that Customs management after the meeting mandated its area commands at the land borders to start immediate clampdown on the activities of rice smugglers.

The order, The Tide sources revealed, was responsible for the high level seizures made by the service in the past few months.

Confirming the directive, Comptroller of Federal Operations Unit, Deputy Comptroller Victor Dimka, said recently the Comptroller –General, Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko, instructed them to clampdown on rice smugglers.

Comptroller Dimka stated that the directive of the President to the service high command was responsible for the high level war against smugglers of the staple food and that it was responsible for his command’s recent effort in seizing a boat loaded with 400 bags of rice on water at the Badagry axis at about 2am on Tuesday.

Dimka stated that the goods are worth about N4 million duty paid value; adding that the smugglers are at large but the consignment was taken to Ikeja warehouse while investigation is ongoing.

Dimka, appealed to the general public to report any illegal act to the appropriate authorities and specifically advised smugglers to find other routes as his men will not relent until smuggling becomes a thing of the past.