Navy, Customs Intercept 518 Bags of Smuggled Rice in Badagry
The Nigerian Navy and the Nigeria Customs Service have intercepted four boats conveying 518 bags of suspected smuggled parboiled rice along the Badagry waterways.
The operation was conducted on Friday, July 31, by a patrol team of the Nigerian Navy Ship BEECROFT, working with the Western Marine Command of the Nigeria Customs Service and supported by the Nigerian Navy Special Boat Service.
The boats were intercepted at a Customs checkpoint along the Badagry waterways following credible intelligence on the movement of suspected smugglers.
The Comptroller of the Western Marine Command, Patrick Ntadi, said the smugglers initially resisted the operation before the Navy assisted Customs personnel in securing the boats.
Ntadi said the seized boats were loaded with 518 bags of rice, adding that no weapons were found during the operation.
He commended the Nigerian Navy for its support and cooperation, saying stronger inter-agency collaboration would further enhance efforts to combat smuggling along the waterways.
The Navy said the operation was facilitated by sustained surveillance from the Western Regional Control Centre, FALCON EYE, which provided maritime domain awareness and intelligence support.
It described the successful interception as a demonstration of the importance of technology-driven surveillance and coordinated operations in disrupting maritime crimes and smuggling activities.
The Navy reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening collaboration with the Customs Service and other security agencies to prevent Nigeria’s maritime domain and adjoining coastal communities from being exploited as transit routes for criminal activities.
The Nigerian Navy Ship BEECROFT also pledged to sustain intelligence-driven patrols and joint operations to combat smuggling and other maritime crimes in support of national security and economic stability.
By TimesNG