Residents of Ogun State have dismissed claims of “d3adly rice” circulating in communities within the state, describing the rumours as mere “business gimmick”
Recently, voice messages were circulated by concerned parents and relatives, warning their loved ones against buying or consuming rice. According to the messages, a foreign trader allegedly invoked the spirit of the ‘Ogun’ deity after two trucks of her rice were stolen and smuggled into Nigeria.
The voice notes claimed that the two trucks of rice were stolen from a neighboring country and smuggled into Nigeria through the Idiroko and Seme borders. Allegedly, the owner of the rice consulted Ogun worshippers in Ghana to lay curses on anyone who buys or consumes the stolen rice.
However, speaking with Vanguard in Abeokuta, a resident of Idiroko, a border town in Ipokia Local Government Area who identified himself simply as Mr. Nicolas, dismissed the claim as a “business gimmick.”
“There is nothing like that at all. In Idiroko here, nobody has d!ed as a result of eating rice,” Mr. Nicolas stated.
Similarly, Mr. Adetayo, a resident of Owode, described the allegation as mere rumour, noting that from Owode to Idiroko, there have been no reports of anyone dying from rice consumption.
Reacting to the rumour, the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) in Lagos and Ogun debunked the claims, stating there was no “deadly rice” in circulation.
In a statement by the NCS Seme Area Command, its Public Relations Officer, Isah Sulaiman, labelled the narrative as entirely false and misleading.
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I just hope it is false
ISSOKAY
Probably rice price will reduce