Sequel to customs’ raid of Akala Shopping Complex and entire Bodija Market with carting away of thousand bags of rice, valuable goods and substantial amount of money, respondents have described the raid as an act which equivalents to double standard.
The customs’ raid of the popular market in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State in the early hour of Thursday, April 1st,triggered the traders’ annoyance and eventual protest to appropriate quarters.
The respondents who spoke under the condition of anonymity for the sake of retribution, said that Nigerian customs of Federal Operation Unit(FOU) carried out an acrimonious and sentimental operation.
Anonymous source challenged the heads of custom officers in Oyo State and Zonal level for their failure to claim no knowledge and innocence of the alleged dastardly acts, stressing that there were skeletons in the cupboards which would be fished out soonest.
Respondent added that team of Nigerian Customs had never in history burgled shops nor markets in northern part of Nigeria but they had the effrontery and boldness to raid shops in southern part of the country to look for foreign rice.
Another respondent, who also pleaded to speak anonymously said where were the custom officers before the foreign rice got into the traders’ shops?.
He said the custom officers had hidden agenda to have burgled the rice which had scaled through many borders before getting to their shops.
Anonymous respondent added that Nigerian customs are either corrupt or unprofessional on the discharge of their duties, emphasizing that where were they before the foreign rice got to shops of the respective traders?”.
Anonymous trader at Bodija market described customs’ raid as both sentimental and wicked acts which cannot be easily forgotten.
She said that the raid had precipitated her huge loss of amount of money, stressing that the money invested on business is not hers but loans that were obtained from different sources.
She called on Governor Seyi Makinde and other concerned stakeholders in Oyo State and beyond to see to the incident which had triggered the loss and debt.
