Judex Okoro, Calabar
The Nigerian Navy ship, Victory, has attested four suspects and impounded 144 drums of illegally-refined petroleum products.
The commander of the vessel, Rear Admiral Vincent Okeke, who disclosed this at the Command Headquarters, Calabar while handing over the suspects with seized items,
decried the high rate of desperation by oil bunkerers and smugglers to bring in contraband goods into the country for personal economic gains.
The commander, represented by Captain Muhammed Umaru, said the market value of the items was N15, 504, 000.
He said: “NNS VICTORY is well aware of the desperation of smugglers to bring contrabands into the country within this period of festivities for personal economic gains.
“This is indicated by the fact that within the last eight weeks, the base has recorded nine major arrests, impounded contraband goods worth over N236, 236,000.00.
“Expectedly, the base has intensified patrols to curb the heightened rate of smuggling and enforcing the mandate of the chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok Ete Ibas to rid Nigeria’s maritime domain of all vices,” he said.
Giving more details of the latest cache, he said the four suspects included three Nigerians and one Cameroonian, adding that the suspects and their wooden boat were arrested on Friday, December 27, 2019 by the VICTORY patrol team around Agbana West by Tom Shot Island Breakwaters.
The four suspects including Emma Effiong, Victor Okon, Kingsley Etim (Nigerians) and Daniel Nekoli (Cameroonian) have been handed over to the state commandant of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Danjuma Elisha, for further investigation and prosecution.