Western Marine Command of Nigeria Customs Service in its continued efforts to purge the Western Waterways of the offensive activities of smuggling has intercepted and seized Seventeen (17) Sacks containing One Thousand, Two Hundred and Fifty Seven (1,257) loaves of Cannabis Sativa with a combined weight of 720kg worth over 96 Million Naira.
Comptroller Paul Bamisaiye informed that ,” At about 2300hrs on Wednesday 15 May 2024, a patrol team of Officers and Men of WMC at the Bar beach station of the Command received credible intelligence on movement of a boat on the high sea along the beach location carrying items suspected to be offending items. Upon receiving the information the team moved towards the described location and intercepted one fiber boat fitted with 200HP Yamaha Engine carrying sacks of the suspected items
” In a related development on Sunday 19 May 2024 a joint team of Officers and Men of the Command while on routine patrol along Panko Creek, Badagry Waterways, intercepted one wooden boat fitted with a 25HP Yamaha engine carrying suspected contraband items and upon sighting our patrol Boats abandoned their Boat and dived into the water” he said
A careful examination of the items being conveyed revealed Five Hundred and Five (505) Bags of 50kg foreign parboiled rice having a combined Duty Paid Value of Fifty Nine Million, One Hundred and Eighty Five Thousand Naira (N59, 185,000.00) of both items and Means of Conveyance. The actions of these smugglers is a direct contravention of sections 245 and 254 of NCS Act 2023 which WMC is responsible for enforcing.
“In the spirit of interagency synergy and collaboration in line with the Comptroller General’s (CGC) policy thrust, the Western Marine Command (WMC) under my leadership has received approval to handover Seventeen (17) sacks containing One thousand, Two Hundred and Fifty Seven (1,257) loaves of Cannabis Sativa which includes Seventy Two (72) loaves that were previously seized by the Command with a combined weight of 720kg worth over 96 Million Naira to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA)” he said
While appreciating the CGC and Management of NCS for the motivation they provide, the WMC under Compt. Paul Bamisaiye appealed to the general and trading public not to engage in illicit drugs. And to stop smuggling which leads to economic sabotage as drugs continue to be a menace to society and serves as the source of other criminal acts, like banditry, kidnapping and armed robbery.
He assured that ,”Western Marine Command is poised more than ever to improve on this performance in the years ahead”he said.
