Traders Protest Auction Of N4m Goods By Customs

Traders Protest Auction Of N4m Goods By Customs

Scores of Yewa-Awori farm produce traders and farmers under the aegis of Fruits and Vegetable Growers and Marketers Association of Nigeria, on Monday, protested against the alleged seizure and auction of their goods.

The protesters claimed that men of the Nigeria Customs Service, Ogun State Command, on Sunday seized 2,000 baskets of tomatoes planted and harvested in Ijoun, in the Yewa-North Local Government Area of the state.

The protesters, who marched to the secretariat of the Ogun State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Oke-Ilewo, Abeokuta, on Monday called for governments’ intervention.

The protesters displayed placards with inscriptions such as, ‘We are farmers and not smugglers,’ ‘We didn’t vote to be tortured,’ and ‘Customs wants to kill us.

READ ALSO: Details Of How Nigerian Customs Seized And Smuggled Items Worth N10.6bn Emerge

The state Chairman of the association, Timothy Eweoba, said the Customs seized 2,000 baskets of pepper and tomatoes from their members and auctioned them.

Eweoba said, “They are now auctioning it at their head office. They said it was a Federal Government’s directive that the Customs should impound tomatoes and peppers planted in Nigeria.

“Our goods are not imported at all. They were planted here in Nigeria. Our produce were impounded in Ijoun.

“The goods were impounded yesterday (Sunday) and they are auctioning them now. We have been to the customs office where it was confirmed to us that our products were being auctioned at N200 per basket.”

Attempts to get reaction from the Public Relations Officer of the NCS in the state, Abdulahi Maiwada, failed as his phone ranged out. He also did not respond to the text message sent to him.

Meanwhile, in Anambra state, Prayers in the market has been banned by the traders association after protests from the traders