Troops of the 35 Artillery Brigade, Alamala, Abeokuta, operating under Operation MESA, have intercepted a consignment of 88 bags of 50kg foreign parboiled rice during a routine patrol in Ogun State.

This was disclosed in a statement on Saturday by the Acting Assistant Director, Army Public Relations of the Brigade, Captain Samuel Akari, in Abeokuta.

According to the statement, the operation was executed following an intelligence tip-off on the illegal movement of contraband goods into the country.

Captain Akari revealed that the interception took place around 4:00am on Thursday, along the Rounder-Imasayi road in Abeokuta North Local Government Area of the state.

“The drivers, upon sighting the troops, fled the scene, abandoning the goods which were being transported in two unregistered Mazda saloon cars,” Akari stated.

He further disclosed that a Ford bus without a registration number, also loaded with the foreign rice, was found abandoned at the location.

“The intercepted items and the three vehicles have since been handed over to the Nigeria Customs Service, Ogun 1 Area Command, for further investigation and necessary action,” the statement read.

The army spokesman stressed that the handover of the seized goods underscores the Nigerian Army’s steadfast commitment—particularly that of the 35 Artillery Brigade—to supporting government agencies in enforcing anti-smuggling laws and protecting the nation’s economic interests.

He reiterated the importance of inter-agency collaboration in curbing smuggling activities and safeguarding the integrity of the country’s borders.