Navy seizes another 41 bags of rice, arrests 4 suspected smugglers in A’ lbom

In another separate operations, the Nigerian Navy, Forward Operating Base, Ibaka, in Mbo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, has seized another 41 bags of contraband rice allegedly smuggled from Cameron and arrested four suspected smugglers. A fibre boat with 175 horsepower Yamaha outboard engine was also intercepted with the 50kg bags of rice said to be brought in from Cameroon. Parading the suspects yesterday in Ibaka during the hand-over of the suspects and the seized items to the Nigeria Customs Service, the Commanding Officer, FOB, Captain Yusuf Idris, who was represented by Captain Reginald Adoki said the Navy will continue to arrest smugglers no matter how much they attempt to evade arrest, and warned them to refrain from illegal businesses on the waterways. “I, Captain Reginald Adoki, on behalf of the Commanding Officer, FOB, Ibaka, Captain Yusuf Idris, hand over the four suspects, 41 bags of 50kg rice and a fibre boat with 175 horsepower Yamaha outboard engine to the Nigeria Customs Service. “No matter how little, no matter how much they attempt to evade arrest, the Navy will always intercept and arrest them. If they have other things to do with their investments, it is better for them than to continue to engage in illicit activities because the Navy will always clamp down on them. “This is one of those things that we have been doing around here and we will not relent in our efforts to keep arresting smugglers and other criminals on our water ways,” he said. Receiving the suspects and items, Assistant Controller, Nigeria Customs Service, Ali Garko who represented the Controller, Eastern Marine Command, NCS, Port Harcourt, Elton Edorhe, thanked the Nigerian Navy for making their work easier and appealed that they continue. “On behalf of my Controller, Eastern Marine Command, I receive 41 bags of foreign rice, 50 kg and175 Yamaha outboard engine, 1 fibre boat and four suspects. “Definitely, the suspects will be prosecuted and whatever is taken as goods been seized will be forfeited as the law says to the Federal Government. We thank the Nigerian Navy for making our work easier and hope this will continue,” he said. However, one of the suspects, Pastor China Osuji has denied involvement in the crime, saying that he boarded the boat to get to Lagos and board a flight to Liberia for a Church programme without knowledge that the boat was carrying contraband rice. He said, “We were travelling to Liberia from Cameroon; I am a Pastor and a Nigerian from Imo state, I have been in Cameroon for more than 21 years, and this is not my first trip by water. “We entered a boat because there is no direct flight from Cameroon to Liberia, so we were told to take a boat to come to Oron, from there to Lagos and take a flight. We entered the boat without knowing that they carried rice. “I have followed this route once but not with bags of rice, I don’t deal with bags of rice. It was the immigration in Cameroon that directed us to board this boat. We did not see the contents because it was covered and they put our bags on it”. Isaac Job, Uyo