Navy hands over smuggled speed boats, foreign rice, others worth N15m to OSR

By Ezurike Ugochukwu

The Nigerian Navy operatives attached to the Forward Operating Base, Badagry, Lagos State, yesterday handed over speed boats, car, electronics and foreign rice worth N15 million to the Operation Swift Response (OSR).

The Commanding Officer, Naval Forward Operating Base (FOB), Captain Chris Akokota, while handing over the goods to OSR officers, said that the criminals abandoned the items and jumped into the waters.

The items handed over to FOB included five fibre speed boats fitted with outboard engines, one Toyota sport utility vehicle, electronics and electrical fittings, bags of foreign parboiled rice, cosmetics products, bales of used clothes and cartons of frozen turkey.

OSR team is a joint security task force comprising all security agencies, including the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), set up to combat crimes, especially at the borders and on the nation’s waterways.

Akokota stated, “The FOB, in fulfilment of Navy’s policing role, has increased patrols along the waterways extending from Lagos to the Republic of Benin border.This has led to the arrest of many suspects, which were handed over to OSR men. The arrest of more suspects in the last two months would soon be handed over to the OSR.

“I want to warn criminals to desist from illegalities as the Navy would continue to deal decisively with them.”

Receiving the seized items, the NCS Deputy Comptroller in charge of enforcement, Rasheed Adahuse, who received the seized goods, said the Customs Service would continue to synergize with the Navy to make Nigerian waters safer for genuine business activities.