Nigeria has seized 21 trucks with food bound for Chad, Central African Republic and Cameroon amid a scarcity of staple foodstuff.

The shortage is partly linked to smuggling and has sparked protests in several states.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) uncovered the food concealed among household commodities in north-eastern Borno state.

“The arrest of the trucks is expected to stem the tide of food insecurity occasioned by unscrupulous antics of smugglers across the country,” the EFCC said in a statement.

The Nigerian government plans to begin distributing 42,000 tonnes of grain across the country to quell public anger at spiralling food prices.

The food crisis in Nigeria has partly been blamed on President Bola Tinubu's decision to end a fuel subsidy in May last year.

The crisis has been worsened by the recent depreciation of the local currency, the naira, which has shot up food prices.

The African Development Bank has provided $134m to Nigeria to enhance food production following its warning in February that the country could face social unrest over a cost-of-living crisis.