The Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base (FOB), Badagry, has handed over 97 bags of smuggled foreign parboiled rice and 191 wraps of suspected Cannabis Sativa to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), respectively, as part of its ongoing high-intensity maritime security operations.
According to a press statement released by the Commanding Officer, Navy Captain B.O. Omotayo, the contraband was seized during separate operations conducted across the Badagry – Seme – Porto Novo waterways and surrounding land corridors between April 23 and May 14, 2025.
The seizures include:
* 97 x 50kg bags of foreign parboiled rice intercepted on April 26, 2025.
* 191 wraps of suspected Cannabis Sativa, weighing approximately 114.6kg, recovered in three separate operations around Packo and Bedrome–Ashipa between April 30 and May 14.
* 307 kegs of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), totaling about 7,675 litres, confiscated in four operations around Simtop Jetty, Tosuvi, Ashikpa, and Panshi areas between April 23 and May 3.
In accordance with extant regulations and the Nigerian Navy’s Standard Operating Procedures, the rice was handed over to the Nigeria Customs Service, Western Marine Command, while the suspected Cannabis was transferred to the NDLEA’s Seme Special Area Command on Tuesday, May 20, for further investigation and prosecution. The intercepted PMS was destroyed to prevent illegal distribution within the area of operation.
Captain Omotayo stated that these successes reflect FOB Badagry’s unwavering commitment to implementing the strategic directives of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla, under Strategic Directive 06–2023, which focuses on safeguarding Nigeria’s maritime environment in support of national security and economic growth.
He emphasized the base’s resolve to sustain its fight against smuggling, narcotics trafficking, and related maritime crimes, while also reinforcing inter-agency cooperation and community engagement to foster lasting maritime security in the region.