POISONOUS rice from Asia, said to have been rejected by the Sierra Leonean government, has found its way into markets in Kaduna, Sokoto and other neighbouring states, consequently, causing fear within communities and government circles.

A senior Customs official in Kaduna, Sani Bunza, told newsmen that although he was not allowed to talk to the media without permission, he was aware of complaints from the public of bad rice in the markets.

In Sokoto State, the Voice of America (VOA), Hausa Service, monitored in Kaduna, on Wednesday, said Muslim and Christian clerics had condemned the importation of such rice and appealed to their adherents to distance themselves from anything that could cause harm to them.

The National Security Adviser (NSA), General Sarki Mukhtar, it will be recalled, had raised the alarm over a shipment of about 6,000 tonnes of poisonous rice from Sierra Leone.

According to him, intelligence report had indicated that some Nigerian businessmen had shown interest in buying the products earlier rejected by the Sierra Leonean government on account of its being unsafe for human consumption.

But the rice eventually found its way into the country at the weekend. A NAFDAC official, who demanded anonymity, said that certain rice, with number LL62 from Asia, should be avoided by members of the public.

Malam Sahabi Yahaya Kaura in Kaduna said that it was unfortunate that Nigerian businessmen, who might be richer than their Sierra Leonean counterparts, would be so greedy and unpatriotic to import the bad rice into Nigeria.

He said that many unsuspecting customers, who bought the rice had to return it to the traders in Sheikh Gumi market, Kaduna, because it could not be easily cooked and tasted so bad in the mouth.

Petty traders in the market accused the rice dealers of deliberately causing disharmony between them and their numerous customers by importing sub-standard rice, calling on the authorities to intervene.

Investigations by the Nigerian Tribune revealed that many families in Kaduna had resorted to eating gari, tuwo, yam and other foods and were avoiding rice for now, except the very few that had old stock in their stores.

Meanwhile, Mr. Udoekpo Ekpo, the unit head of NAFDAC in Enugu State, has raised the alarm over adulteration of palm oil in the state. Ekpo raised the alarm in Enugu, on Wednesday, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

The agency’s unit head said that NAFDAC discovered that palm oil in some markets in the state was mixed with chemical substances, such as anagodye and Sudan III.

He warned that the substances had possibilities of causing cancer and other ailments.

He said that NAFDAC had taken pains to visit all markets within the city, as well as rural areas, to warn against the adulteration.

The agency’s official warned dealers to desist from ventures that were capable of causing dangerous ailments for consumers.

He disclosed that the agency’s surveillance team had been placed on the alert to check their excesses.

On how the adulterated palm oil could be identified, Ekpo said: “the unfortunate thing is that it will be difficult to identify this product by mere looking at it.”

http://www.tribune.com.ng/25062009/news/news1.html

Naija never ceases to amaze me.
After intimating all the agencies (Customs, Navy, Marine patrol, NAFDAC, Immigrations, Border patrols etc) responsible for this by the NSA nd the agencies responsible subsequently raised the THREAT level to DEFCOM 5. This poisonous rice still found its way into Naija.

Lets brace-up for damage control.
@least, we're a lil' bit good @that.

So fast?the rice don land 9ja?
how did it cross our borders?
Anyways,rice have (these last years) been so expensive,i guess after all these it wud be so cheap that the average man can easily afford it.

ifyalways:

So fast?the rice don land 9ja?
how did it cross our borders?
Anyways,rice have (these last years) been so expensive,i guess after all these it wud be so cheap that the average man can easily afford it.

and after eating the rice the poor man dies - lol

Haleyuuyah!!
The rice has finally arrived now we can afford cheap food. . .
Do not fear peeps black man no dey die. . .

@Tudor
Since black man no dey die. I hope U wont mind coming over 2 NAFDAC Lab. @Oshodi 4testing wit d poisonous rice.

shouldnt nigeria be hanging some businessmen like china?

POISONOUS rice from Asia, said to have been rejected by the Sierra Leonean government, has found its way into markets in Kaduna, Sokoto and other neighbouring states,

These Hausa people sef!abeg may una no bring anoda epidemic 4 NAIJA again oooo.

Nigeria ! always from one battle to the other , now its killer rice

when will all dis come to an end?

may GOD help us.

May the Almighty God save us, ameen.

Some people go import poisonous rice, deposit am far away from their house, dem forget say the thing must circulate land ontop their dinner table.

@puskin
no wahala,nothing will go wrong but incase it does i can always go to pastors adeboye or chris and get my healing in addition to purifying the rice. . . .

This is wickedness, and i think this is the time for the govt to do something, arrest the importers of such rice and let them face the law.
How cld people risk the life of fellow citizens all cos of money?
i hope to read of some arrest soon.