Navy arrest woman for allegedly trafficking in Indian hemp
Men of the Nigerian Navy have arrested a middle-aged woman who they said used her twoyear old child as cover-up to smuggle Indian hemp into the country.
Naval operatives attached to the NNS Beecroft in Badagry said they arrested the woman, who they simply identified as Esther, while she was allegedly bringing the illicit substance through the creek in a wooden canoe, in complicity with some other people who were said to have escaped on sighting the naval men.
After she was arrested, the woman allegedly pretended to be going to the Badagry main market, only with her child whom she was fondly cuddling. But on searching her canoe, the naval men discovered 124 bags of cannabis concealed under sacks of vegetable.
The Commander of NNS Beecroft, Commodore Okon Eyo, who yesterday confirmed the arrest, said, “The substance was intercepted by our men on the Badagry waters on March 16. The cannabis, packaged in big bags, had an estimated street value of over N150 million. The seizure was sequel to a tip-off about some criminal elements indulging in transportation of cannabis and other illicit substances within the area through the waterways. One of the suspects was arrested, while others absconded on sighting the navy patrol team.”
Eyo, who has handed over the substance to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), said that the other suspects fled on sighting naval men.
Mr Essien Udotong, who received the seizure on behalf of the NDLEA, said that the agency would continue investigation, and pursuit of the suspects who were still at large. Udotong thanked the Navy for the gesture and expressed the hope the synergy would continue.
Commander Eyo also disclosed that the Navy raided the Idumango area of the Atlas Cove and uncovered over 2,500 jerry cans of petrol. “We were able to identify where people’s homes were converted to a petroleum product storage facility. Some petroleum products were also recovered by our men in the Igbokoda area of Ondo State where we apprehended two stowaways,” he said.
He advised criminals to engage in legitimate businesses or face the law.