Navy busts suspected drug syndicate in Akwa Ibom
By Uko Etim, Uyo
Navy operatives from the Forward Operating Base (FOB) at Ibaka, in Mbo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, have busted a suspected drug syndicate and arrested three suspected traffickers.
The suspects were found with large consignments of assorted contraband drugs and industrial chemicals. During the handover ceremony at the base, Commanding Officer Capt. Uche Aneke explained that the gunboats intercepted a wooden boat during a stop-and-search operation while on routine patrol around the Bendero and Uta Uyata areas.
The seized boat was ferrying illicit items from neighboring Cameroon county to Akwa Ibom when it was intercepted within Nigeria’s coastal waters. The boat was laden with over 125 sacks of industrial chemicals (crystalline ammonia) and 62 cartons of different brands of contraband drugs, including 820 tubes of Pethidine (containing opium) and 24,800 bottles of Codeine syrup.
The three arrested suspects, along with the contraband drugs and industrial chemicals, were handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) for further investigation and possible prosecution.
Capt. Aneke warned oil thieves, smugglers, and other maritime criminals to desist from their activities, stating that the Navy would continue to detect and apprehend criminals using advanced surveillance equipment and intelligence.
Under the leadership of the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, FOB Ibaka remains committed to eradicating maritime crimes in Akwa Ibom State’s maritime and coastal areas.
“Let me seized this opportunity to warn individuals or groups planning to engage in any form of criminality in Nigerian waters or smuggling illegal consignments into or out of Nigeria to desist immediately.
“Under the current leadership of the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, FOB Ibaka, remains resolute in ensuring that maritime crimes are effectively eradicated in the maritime and coastal areas of Akwa Ibom State.
“Criminal elements within FOB Ibaka’s area of operations, under the Eastern Naval Command’s Area of Responsibility, will continue to be detected using advanced surveillance equipment and intelligence.
“Such criminals will be apprehended and duly prosecuted because Nigeria’s waters and coastal areas are not havens for illegal activities,” he added.
