The joint patrol of the Nigeria customs in Katsina has intercepted more than 52 trucks of dates and tiger nuts transported into the country through the land borders.
The customs suspects that prohibited items such as rice, illicit drugs and ammunition may be concealed in some of the trucks coming into the country.
An allegation the date and tiger nuts sellers deny.
Members of the date and tiger nuts sellers association and some residents were present to witness the examination of their trucks seized by custom officers on border patrol.
For more than three weeks, there has been a shortage in the supply of dates and tiger nuts, that is usually highly sought after in northern Nigeria.
Now, these items hardly gets to the market because of the restriction of movement through the land borders.
The significance of dates and tiger nuts to an average norther can not be over emphasised particularly now that dates are gradually replacing the use of Kola nuts in social events.
The Acting Commander sector four national border drills Mohammed Aliyu explained that the exercise is not intended to inflict hardship on any body but just to ensure prohibited items do not find its way into the country.
