Nigeria’s National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) says it has, in conjunction with the Customs Service, ordered that the genetically modified (GM) maize consignment illegally imported into Nigeria be sent back.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Nigeria Customs Service recently impounded 90 tonnes of GM maize, valued at about 10 million dollars, which was illegally imported into the country through the Apapa seaport in Lagos.
The GM maize was reportedly imported from Argentina.
Rufus Egbegba, the Director-General of NBMA, said this in a news conference on Tuesday [Nov. 14] in Abuja that in view of the information and facts on ground, the agency ordered the repatriation of the maize consignment with immediate effect.
He said the agency was informed of the importation of a large maize consignment in October.
…
“Representatives of the company were invited to provide more information on the GM status of their import, after which the NBMA proceeded to obtain samples and conduct laboratory tests to ascertain the GM status of the imported maize.
“The results of the analysis and the tests by an independent laboratory of six samples showed categorically that the maize imports were actually genetically modified maize.’’
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