By Faridat Salifu
In a bid to address the pressing food crisis and deter hoarding activities, the Zamfara State Transport Agency took action on Monday by intercepting fifty trucks transporting foodstuffs destined for the Niger Republic.
This move followed a directive from President Bola Tinubu to crack down on food hoarding incidents amid the current challenges facing the agricultural sector.
The enforcement involved grounding the trucks, loaded with a variety of grains, as the agency worked in collaboration with key security officials including National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, and Director-General of the Department of State Services Yusuf Bichi.
The joint effort aimed to curb the illegal exportation of essential food items amidst rising transportation costs and ongoing security threats to farmers.
In a related development, the Nigeria Customs Service also played a role in preventing fifteen trailers from ferrying food products across the Sokoto borders into Niger Republic, while the Kano State Government took action by sealing ten warehouses suspected of hoarding food items.
Shehu Sani, a resident of Zurmi town in Zamfara State, confirmed the interception of the fifty trucks near the Nigerian borders with Niger Republic at Gidan Jaja village.
The spokesman for ZARTO, Sale Shinkafi, revealed that the trucks were allegedly attempting to smuggle the food items out of the country, prompting the directive for the owners to sell the commodities within Nigeria at fair prices.
Echoing concerns over food smuggling, the All Farmers Association of Nigeria attributed the illicit activities to wholesalers engaging in large-scale purchases from local farmers and surreptitiously exporting these products to neighboring countries.
The association emphasized the detrimental impact on the domestic food supply chain and the livelihoods of Nigerian farmers, calling for stricter oversight and regulatory measures to combat these exploitative practices.
Amidst these developments, the National President of All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Kabir Ibrahim, commended the recent efforts of the Nigerian Customs Service in intercepting trucks carrying smuggled food items.
He advocated for the prosecution of smugglers, proposing stringent penalties such as life imprisonment as a deterrent against further illegal exportation of essential food commodities.