The leadership of the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) in conjunction with the National Union of Road Transport Workers has denied a report that said they are smuggling food items to Chad, Cameroon, and Central Africa.
In a press conference at NUJ Press Centre in Maiduguri on Thursday, the Chairman NURTW Bolori Store, Bokomodu Liman, said EFCC Borno Command has illegally arrested 21 of their members in Maiduguri, accusing them of transporting food and other items to the neighbouring countries.
Liman was reacting to a press statement by the operatives of the Maiduguri Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission which said the EFCC, on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, arrested 21 trucks loaded with food and non-food items heading towards N’djamena, Chad Republic, Central African Republic and Cameroon.
He explained that all the 21 trucks arrested by EFCC on 5th, March 2024 in Maiduguri metropolis were carrying legal goods approved by government, heading to different Local Government Areas of Borno state.
According to him, the NURTW did not receive message from the FG or state government which banned transporting of goods and building materials to other LGAs of the state.
He begged FG to release the 21 truck drivers and their trucks loaded with items arrested by EFCC, saying “We are law-abiding citizens, we are not smugglers, we are operating our business legally.
“FG did not ban exportation on cement and building materials, for EFCC to arrest our trucks in Maiduguri metropolis is totally not good for our economy, if truly they want to arrest smugglers they should go to border areas where smuggling activities is going but not in Maiduguri metropolis which is far away from the border areas.
“It is untrue that we are hiding food items to smuggle it Cameroon, Chad, and Central Africa as stated by EFCC.“ (Tribune)