Pregnant woman, others crushed to death in frantic bid for customs-seized rice

Seven Nigerians died in a stampede while trying to purchase seized rice put on sale by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in the commercial hub of Lagos State.

Customs’ zonal office on Harvey Road, Yaba, Lagos, was crowded on Friday with scores of citizens turning up to buy a 25kg bag of rice sold for N10,000.

A Report by Daily Trust indicated that a pregnant woman and six others died in the stampede when armed hoodlums in camouflage gear attempted to force their way into the venue.

A witness, Comfort James, told the media outlet, “You can see videos of the stampede online on X, but I tell you it was worse in reality. I got there by 11am and met an uncontrollable crowd. Customs tried everything they could to control the crowd but couldn’t succeed. It wasn’t organised as we thought it would be. Police came but they didn’t come to aid the distribution; they came to collect bags of rice for themselves.”

In his reaction, Customs’ spokesman, Abdullahi Maiwada, said, “I can’t say if there was any death, but some people fainted during the stampede and were rushed to the hospital.

“The activity started peacefully, with the CGC on ground monitoring till 5pm. Our men controlled the crowd until the stampede occurred.”

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) earlier announced a plan to distribute some seized food items nationwide as the biting food crisis continues in the country.

The distribution of food items will commence after they are certified fit for human consumption, according to the National Public Relations, CSC Abdullahi Maiwada.

In a Tuesday statement, he said the move is “to alleviate the hardships faced by Nigerians and improve access to essential food items, the Nigeria Customs Service will facilitate the direct disposal of food items forfeited to the Federal Government.

“These items will be certified fit for consumption by relevant agencies and made available to ordinary Nigerians nationwide through equitable distribution in our Areas of Operations.

“The modalities for the disposal will be communicated through NCS formations nationwide, with a firm commitment to transparency, fairness, and public safety. It is our pledge that this exercise will be managed diligently to ensure that the benefits reach those most in need.”