Residents of Ogun and Lagos are in panic mode over the rumoured circulation of deadly rice.
A viral message being circulated on WhatsApp alleged that a foreign trader invoked the spirit of Ogun deity on her two trucks of rice after the trucks were allegedly stolen and smuggled into the country.
It was alleged that the two stolen trucks of rice were smuggled into Nigeria from a neighboring country through the Idiroko and the Seme borders.
The female trader, according to the voice notes, contacted some Ogun worshipers in Ghana to lay curses on "anybody that buys or consumes" the alleged stolen rice.
Unverified sources claimed that some Customs officers, an officer of the Nigerian Army and several others died after buying or consuming the rice.
But the Nigerian Customs Service in Lagos and Ogun debunked the claims.
The Service declared that there was no deadly rice in circulation in any part of the country.
In a statement by the NCS, Seme Area Command, Public Relations Officer, Isah Sulaiman, described reports as entirely false, misleading, stressing that it did not reflect the reality of the matter.
He said, “The attention of the Nigeria Customs Service, Seme Area command, has been drawn to a widely circulated unfounded and baseless allegation claiming that the Command seized and distributed bags of rice without the knowledge of the purported owner, who then allegedly invoked traditional powers leading to the death of individuals, including a soldier at Badagry.
“The command wishes to categorically state that this narrative is entirely false, misleading, and does not reflect the reality of the matter.”