The Federal Government's quest to rid the Country's Creeks and Coastal waters off all criminal activities, like piracy, oil bunkering, oil theft, illegal oil refining, armed robberies and kidnappings has just got a boost as the Comptroller General, Nigeria Customs Service, Col. Ibraheem Hamid Ali (Rtd), commissioned Eighteen Creek patrol boats in Rivers State on Thursday.

Security experts say this addition to the Service Marine arsenal is right on time. This is due to an increased level of smuggling activities on the waters in the past months. This, they say is due to the smugglers inability to maintain their nefarious activities on land as a result of the heat from security agencies in the country.

The boats commissioned consist of 9 logistic support boats and 9 gun boats. The parts are said to be armored, which makes it bullet and shock proof. They are also flat bottomed, which makes them able to access the creeks even when the water has receded to shallow levels.

Colonel Ali also intimated the gathering in Port-Harcourt that the NCS tapped into the ingenuity of a Nigerian Company, SEWA to design, construct and build the magnificent boats. He said the boats were built with Nigerian weather and circumstances in mind. He said they were built to a word standard specification and they can compete with similar ones construct in anywhere. 

He said: "The relationship between NCS and SEWA represents excellent examples of what Nigerians can achieve when we come together. I therefore commend SEWA for delivering on their promise and have no hesitation to recommend them to individuals or organizations that need what they are capable of producing.

"As we commission these boats which will be deployed for the Southern waters, (the Eastern and Western Marine Commands), I urge our Marine Operatives to use them judiciously in the interest of the nation.

"Let me state here that even with the best of working tools, NCS efforts will not yield maximum output, If Nigerians for which we work, do not give us needed cooperation. I therefore call on well-meaning individuals and organizations to give the Service credible information that will enable interception and seizures of smuggled items."

Colonel Ali thanked all stakeholders who made the project a success. He specifically praised the journalists present for what he described as the continuous support and urged them not to relent on the invaluable job of informing, educating and entertaining the public. 

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