The Forward Operating Base (FOB) of the Nigerian Navy in Badagry, Lagos State, on Saturday, intercepted 16 fibre boats loaded with 1,000 bags of foreign parboiled rice.

A reliable source told journalists in Badagry that the smugglers were about to load the bags of foreign parboiled rice into their awaiting vehicles when the navy operatives swept down on them.

According to the source, who resides in the Yafin community in Badagry, the smugglers came with boats loaded with bags of rice at 7:30 a.m.

“They brought the rice in the boats to two riverine communities, Isalu and Yafin; within 15 minutes, their vehicles started arriving at the scene.

“As they were about to start offloading the boats, men from the  FOB of Nigerian Navy descended on them.

“Some of the smugglers jumped into the water, while others ran into hiding, and the drivers in the awaiting vehicles quickly drove off to avoid arrest.

“The navy reloaded the rice into the boats and took them to their base; no shooting, no attack, everything was in order,” he said.

In another development, the Nigerian Navy seized 3,375 litres of petrol at a filling station in Ajara, Badagry.

According to a source, operatives of the FOB, on February 1, made the seizure at a fuel station where perpetrators were siphoning the product to transport to the Republic of Benin.

“The perpetrators fled on sighting the navy operatives,” the source said.

The source said the navy also intercepted a speedboat carrying nine suspected victims of human trafficking on their way to Port Novo in the Republic of Benin.

He said the operatives made the interception on February 5, at about 2:30 p.m. at the Badagry/Port Novo Creek.

(NAN)