BY ANKELI EMMANUEL, Sokoto -.
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has said the planned nationwide subsidized disposal of seized grains to Nigerians has been temporary suspended over stampede that led to the lost of some lives at customs office in Yaba, Lagos State.
The National Public Relations Officer of the Service, Chief Superintendent of Customs, Abdullahi Maiwada, disclosed this in a statement on Monday.
Maiwada also extended Custom’s condolences to families of those who lost their loved ones and those that sustained various degrees of injuries during the Lagos pilot subsidized grains disposal flag off exercise stampede.
“”The Nigeria Customs Service extends its heartfelt condolences to the families of those who lost their lives during the unfortunate incident. Our thoughts and prayers are with the affected families during this challenging time, and we assure them of our unwavering support.
“”We are working with Hospital Authorities to establish contact and engage directly with the victims’ families on their next steps. Following this incident, an internal investigation was initiated to understand the circumstances surrounding this unfortunate event””.
While decrying that the noble initiative of disposing off seized but edible food items as directed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was aimed at alleviating the hardships faced by Nigerians.
Stating how prepared NCS were for the smooth conduct of the exercise, Maiwada said, all necessary measures including Police, Military and Team of Medical personnel were on ground to control crowd and mitigate any potential health risk that may emerge during the exercise.
Continuing, the National Customs’ image maker, said over 5000 Nigerians benefited between 8 in the morning till about 5 in the evening when they ran out of stock and asked the crowd to come back the next day for continuation of the exercise.
“”However, unforeseen challenges arose when we ran out of stock and announced the continuation of the exercise the following day, leading to a regrettable outcome. The crowd became desperate and charged through our barricades in search of rice bags inside emptied containers. In the stampede that ensued, some fatalities and injuries were regrettably recorded.
‘”As a service deeply committed to the welfare and safety of Nigerians, we recognize the need for heightened sensitivity and preventive measures in all our operations. Considering the recent unfortunate event, we regrettably announce the suspension of this exercise until we establish what transpired on Friday, 23 February 2024. This should help us to properly articulate more robust and comprehensive action that will not defeat the noble intention”.
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