- Six Cameroonians have been arrested for smuggling 700 bags of parboiled foreign rice into the Nigeria through the Calabar channel
- The illegal immigrants were nabbed by men of the Nigerian Navy Ship in Cross River
- Commodore Julius Nwagu has handed over them to the Nigeria Immigration Service
Emerging reports have claimed that men of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Victory in Cross River state arrested six Cameroonians smuggling 700 bags of parboiled foreign rice into the country through the Calabar channel.
Commander, NNS Victory, Commodore Julius Nwagu, handed over the illegal immigrants to the Nigeria Immigration Service, and the seized rice and Nigerians to the Nigerian Customs Service, at the NNS Victory jetty in Calabar.
Nwagu who explained that the contraband was worth about N11.2 million said: “These six Cameroonians got involved in the smuggling of the parboiled rice and they entered into Nigeria without the requisite papers thereby violating the Immigrations Laws in Nigeria and that is why I invited the Immigration to hand him over while the Nigeria Customs Service will take over the rice and the other Nigerians who are involved in the smuggling.
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“Christmas is coming and people want to make quick money by smuggling in rice into the country but the Nigerian Navy is hell bent on ensuring that the Federal Government on ban on importation of parboiled rice into the country is upheld.
“We would never allow it as a service, and under the able leadership of Vice Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas, we will not leave any stone unturned in ensuring that our policing roles are upheld and we have the available platforms to patrol the waters, especially in the Eastern flank here.”
Assistant comptroller of immigration in charge of the Marine Unit, Tsumba Terna, who received the Cameroonians, said anyone entering Nigeria must have the requisite papers.
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He added that they would be dealt with according to laid down procedures to handle such situations.
A superintendent of customs, Akpan Ime Edet, also said the rice would be transferred to government warehouse, while the Nigeria suspects would face prosecution.
Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that Kano/Jigawa command of the Nigeria Customs Service expressed concern over a new method adopted by smugglers by using cows to smuggle contraband foreign rice into the country through porous borders.
The customs area controller, Alhaji Nazir Ahmed, made this known on Monday, November 26, during a media briefing on the activities of the area command.
Ahmed while parading the animals carrying tones of rice at the Bompai premises of the command, said the arrest of the animals followed intelligence report on a new method of smuggling bags of rice through the bush paths.
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