FG warns Nigerians against consumption of smuggled rice, says some are poisoned
The Nigerian government has warned Nigerians against the consumption of foreign rice, with claims that some of the rice smuggled are poisoned.
In a statement made available to the public, the federal government claimed that all foreign brands of rice in the country at the moment were smuggled.
According to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, most imported rice and poultry products were poisonous, as the commodities had been in store for several months before being shipped to Nigeria and neighbouring countries.
Addressing the role of the government to stop the importation and smuggling of frozen poultry and rice into the country, Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri said the government is responsible for the protection of its citizen.
He, however made this known during a stakeholder’s meeting in Abuja.
Lokpobiri’s words; “For imported rice, we don’t know how long it had been in their (exporters) silos. Recently, one country decided to bring in a shipload of rice into Nigeria so that we can use it to support the IDPs (Internationally Displaced Persons) in the North-East, but when we subjected the rice to a test, we discovered that the rice was actually poisonous.
“This means that most imported rice have been in silos for 10 to 15 years and have no nutritional value. So what we have told them is that anybody who wants to support the IDPs or any other person in Nigeria should please use our local rice. The argument is that local rice is more expensive, but we say even if it means buying half bags, do it.
“It is better for us to eat a smaller quantity of nutritious rice than for us to take poisonous shiploads of rice. Also, we discovered that chemicals used for smuggled poultry products are the ones used for embalming corpses. So what we want Nigerians to know is that anybody who eats smuggled poultry products is actually embalming himself while still alive.”
