The Nigerian Navy intercepted 130 bags of smuggled foreign parboiled rice during an anti-smuggling operation along the Badagry waterways in Lagos.

This was announced in a statement by Abiodun Folorunsho, the navy’s spokesman.

Mr Folorunsho said the interception was carried out by personnel of the forward operating base in Badagry as part of ongoing efforts to curb smuggling and other economic sabotage within the maritime domain.

He said the operation followed credible human intelligence on smugglers’ activities within the base’s area of responsibility.

“Acting on the intelligence, troops conducted a coordinated raid along the Panshi–Ijofin creeks leading to the Badagry–Porto Novo waterways at about 4:30 a.m. on May 6. On sighting naval personnel, the suspected smugglers fled the area, abandoning their consignments,” he said.

Mr Folorunsho said troops subsequently discovered and confiscated 130 bags of 50kg foreign parboiled rice suspected to have been smuggled into the country through illegal routes.

He added that the seized items were evacuated to FOB Badagry for further necessary action in accordance with extant regulations.

The naval spokesman noted that the operation was successfully concluded without incident later the same day.

He said the interception followed a similar operation by Naval Base Epe, which recently intercepted and handed over 125 bags of smuggled rice to the Nigeria Customs Service.

Mr Folorunsho reiterated the navy’s commitment to dismantling smuggling networks and denying economic saboteurs freedom of action within Nigeria’s maritime environment.

“The Nigerian Navy will sustain intelligence-driven operations to ensure there is no hiding place for smugglers and other criminal elements,” he said. 

(NAN)