NSCDC marine team intercepts 292 bags of smuggled rice, arrests three

Marine team of the Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, (NSCDC), Dr. Ahmed Audi, has intercepted two hundred and ninety two bags of smuggled foreign rice at Eleko Beach, Lagos.

Acting on intelligence report from it’s monitoring team, three suspects were arrested conveying the smuggled goods from Cotonou, Benin Republic aboard three wooden boats.
In a statement signed by the Public Relations Officer, (PRO), Babawale Afolabi, contains that the Corps has heightened surveillance to ensure know criminals and their activities are reduced.

Meanwhile, the CG has ordered the suspects to be handed over to the appropriate authorities for prosecution.

Dr. Audi said “the corps will continue to pursue its statutory functions of protection of critical national assets and infrastructure, fight against vandals and vandalism and economic saboteurs in the country and will continue to; in collaboration with other security agencies, to intensify the fights against crime and criminality in the country.”

He adds that the Corps is committed to continued proactive and tactical patrol both on land and sea to forestall all forms of smuggling, make the country’s waterways safe and enhance economic prosperity of the country.

Audi equally directed that the suspects and exhibits; who were arrested on the 18th of September, 2023 be handed over to the Nigeria Customs Service for prosecution in line with the extant laws of the land after preliminary investigations are concluded.

Lagos state Commandant, NSCDC, Usman Alfadarai, gone ahead to hand over the suspects and exhibits to the appropriate and prosecuting agency at the NSCDC’s marine operational base, Ijora, Lagos State.