Navy arrests 12 smugglers, seizes wooden boat, food items
The Nigerian Navy, Forward Operating Base (FOB), Ibaka, Mbo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State have arrested 12 suspected smugglers.
The team also seized a large wooden boat including a fibre boat, three outboard engines, three pumping machines, 43 bags of foreign rice, 579 empty drums, and assorted food items from them. Speaking yesterday in Ibaka, Commanding Officer, FOB, Captain Yusuf Idris said the navy had to inquire what the suspects wanted to do with 579 empty drums.
He added that in the process of counting the drums to ascertain the number, the navy ransacked the large compartment of the wooden boat and discovered 43 bags of contraband rice.
He said all the suspects had confessed to have brought in the items from Cameroon.
“This afternoon, we are here again to handover a boat, a large wooden boat that was seized on Wednesday by my men on patrol about 13:30hrs. The boat has 12 suspects on board with 579 empty drums. And that actually gave us a sort of concern to further check inside because when asked, the suspects told us that they were only carrying empty drums. I was wondering where they could be going with such number of empty drums.
“We started counting and, in the process, ransacked everywhere in the boat and, in one of the compartments, 43 bags of foreign rice were discovered hidden, 27 of it is 50kg while 16 is 25kg.
“All the suspects confessed to have brought the rice from the Republic of Cameroon. So, we will be handing them over to Nigeria Customs Service for further investigation, prosecution and possible conviction.
“This issue has to be viewed with all seriousness. I cannot even count the number of times that we have handed over rice that had been smuggled or suspected to be smuggled from the Republic of Cameroon and as well some bunkering drums of fuel into the country.
“Under our watch and indeed the current leadership of the Nigerian Navy, we are equipped, motivated, empowered to do all that is legally possible to stop this evil of smuggling of rice and any other contrabands to Nigeria through Nigerian waters. This is our resolve and we shall do just this.”
The Customs Assistant