The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) has temporarily suspended the sales of seized food items across all commands in the country following a stampede at the NCS Old Zonal Headquarters in Yaba, Lagos, which resulted in fatalities.
The Customs had previously announced on February 20, 2024, that it would dispose of seized food items to alleviate the hardship and cost of living in the country. The disposal began at the Yaba office on Friday, with a large crowd of over 5,000 beneficiaries and members of the press cooperating with the exercise. However, unforeseen challenges arose when the stock ran out, leading to the announcement of the continuation of the exercise the following day.
In the subsequent stampede, where the crowd became desperate, fatalities and injuries were recorded. The Customs expressed condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and announced a temporary suspension of the exercise. The service is conducting an internal investigation to understand the circumstances surrounding the incident and working with health authorities to establish contact and engage directly with the victims’ families. The suspension aims to allow for a thorough review and the development of more robust and comprehensive measures to prevent such incidents in the future.
