The Nigerian Customs Service on Monday placed a temporary suspension on the sale of seized food items across all the commands in the country over a stampede that claimed lives at NCS Old Zonal Headquarters in the Yaba area of Lagos State last Friday.
This was contained in a statement signed by the agency’s spokesperson, Abdullahi Maiwa, on Monday.
The Customs had on February 20, 2024, said it would dispose of seized food items to cushion the hardship and cost of living in the country.
To start with, the Customs disposed of food items at its Yaba office last Friday in the presence of other security agencies like the men of the Nigeria Police Force.
Maiwada said. “The disposal of the food items got off to a smooth start at about 0800hrs.
“We enjoyed the cooperation of the large crowd that obliged us, giving preferences to the elderly, people living with disabilities, pregnant women, and other vulnerable Nigerians who showed up for the exercise.
“This was the case up until about 1700hrs, as attested to by the over 5,000 beneficiaries and members of the press.