Navy Arrests 12 Suspects, Seizes 50 Drums of Diesel, 486 Bags of Rice

 

The new Commanding Officer of the Nigerian Navy (NN), Forward Operating Base (FOB), Ibaka, Mbo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Captain Peter Yilme, on Thursday expressed the determination of the navy to end smuggling on Nigerian waterways, warning smugglers to desist from the illegal activity forthwith.

The position of the Commanding Officer came as one of the suspects arrested for smuggling of contraband rice into the country said he was not aware that bringing the product into the country was against the law.

Yilme said within two days of his resumption in office, the navy has arrested 12 suspects, seized 50 drums of illegal diesel and 486 bags of smuggled rice.

The commanding officer, who stated this in Ibaka when he handed over of the items to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), warned further that if the smugglers don't desist from such act, the navy would persist with their arrests.

 Represented by Lieutenant Commander Kareem Yusuf, Base Operations Officer, FOB, Yilme hinted that the arrests were made in three different operations involving five suspects each with 209 and 277 bags of 50kg rice respectively, and two suspects with 50 drums of illegal diesel.

 “On behalf of the flag officer commanding of the Eastern Naval Command, I hand over these 486 bags of smuggled rice and 10 suspects to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS). I also hand over two suspects and 50 drums of diesel to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps,” he said.

While receiving the 10 suspects and 486 bags of rice from the navy, Deputy Superintendent of NCS, Alabi, Adedokun, lauded the navy for the cooperation existing between them.

Divisional Officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in charge of Mbo LGA, James Essien,  who stood in for the Corps, received the 50 drums of diesel and two suspects from the navy, and praised them for their efforts in combating smuggling in the area.

 “On behalf of the state Commandant of  the NSCDC, Akwa Ibom State Command, I Commandant Adeyinka Fasiu hereby take over the two suspects and 50 drums of 300 litres of diesel from the Nigerian Navy.

 “We commend the navy for collaborating with us and making sure that the illegality in the waterways is checkmated. We will do all the necessary things to make sure that the culprits are brought to book,” he declared.

 One of the suspects, Bright Okon, a fisherman who had lived in Bakassi for about 20 years, but is from Udung Uko LGA of Akwa Ibom State, said he was only a passenger on the boat when the boat was arrested by the Nigerian Navy.

He stated that he was not involved in the smuggling but was on his way to Oron to visit his wife and new born baby.