Date: 2019-07-13

Officers and men of the Nigerian Navy, Offa, Kwara State on Sunday intercepted 825 bags of smuggled rice coming from Oyo State to Kwara State.

Speaking with journalists while parading suspected smugglers and their commodity in Offa on Sunday, Commandant Nigeria Navy School of Health Sciences, Captain Ayodele Olowolagba, said that the arrest was made at about 5:00 a.m. on Sunday.

"This morning at about 0500 hours that's 5 am this morning July 7, 2019, while conducting checks at the old checkpoint, opposite Nigerian Navy School of Health Sciences, Offa gate, (because we have both the right and left checkpoints security in front of the school), 15 vehicles both Peugeot and golf cars were arrested.

"Each of them carries 55 bags of foreign rice, totalling 825 bags of rice. The commodities in the car would be handed over to the police in the presence of the Customs.

"Nigerian Navy is a friendly force. We are very friendly even with the immediate community. With the security services we carry around Offa and Kwara State, we would not do anything inimical to the success of all the activities of the government in power. We are committed to making sure that all the activities of the government are carried out peacefully.

“This is part of our efforts to beef up security in Offa and his neighbouring towns. In the course of carrying this exercise daily, Nigerian Navy personnel has been encountering persons carrying illicit acts to the extent that they often threaten to deal with security personnel on official duty.

"Despite the threat, the personnel are uncompromising and resolute in carrying out their legal duties to the nation. This is despite the allegation by this smugglers that the Navy personnel are compromising," he said.

One of the suspects, who is a driver of one of the vehicles, Ahmad Mustafa, confessed to the crime, saying that he was coming from Shaki with the commodity for sale in Offa, Kwara State.

Mustafa, while being paraded, said that he was not the owner of the rice, adding that he was sent by a man called Pilot, who lives in Shaki.

He added that he was plying the Offa road for the first time.