The Nigerian Navy has intensified its crackdown on maritime crimes in the South-South, destroying a suspected militant hideout in Cross River State while rescuing three passengers from suspected sea robbers in Akwa Ibom.

The separate operations, carried out by the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Victory and the Forward Operating Base (FOB) Ibaka under the Eastern Naval Command, were aimed at sustaining security along Nigeria’s coastal waterways and denying criminal elements freedom of operation.

In Cross River, troops of NNS Victory raided Ine Ikoridung coastal settlement in Bakassi Local Government Area and destroyed a suspected militant camp located along the Dayspring axis.

The Navy said the operation followed credible intelligence indicating that militants, displaced from their former camps on Dayspring Island by sustained military pressure, had relocated to the remote coastal settlement where they were attempting to regroup.

Briefing journalists in Calabar, the Base Information Officer of NNS Victory, Lieutenant Commander Sulaiman Bala, said the operation was intelligence-driven and executed without delay.

According to him, naval patrol gunboats stormed the settlement, cordoned off the area and conducted a thorough search of huts believed to be occupied by the suspected militants. However, the suspects fled on sighting the approaching naval boats.

Bala said the search led to the recovery of five empty cartridges, a military camouflage vest, a police camouflage vest, a military pullover, a military jungle hat and a notebook containing records of suspected militant fighters previously arrested and the correctional facilities where they are serving prison terms.

He said the identified hideouts were subsequently destroyed to prevent the criminals from returning, adding that continuous operational pressure had significantly restricted the activities of militant groups operating within the maritime environment.

Meanwhile, in Akwa Ibom, personnel of FOB Ibaka rescued three passengers from suspected sea robbers during a routine patrol following a distress call from a passing boat reporting an attack around Mbendoro waters.

In a statement issued by the Eastern Naval Command in Calabar, the Navy said the incident occurred at about 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 29, when the patrol team swiftly mobilised to the area after receiving the emergency alert.

The Navy said the operatives successfully rescued a passenger boat conveying tomatoes and its three occupants, identified as David Okon, Anietie Friday and David Edet, who were travelling from Cameroon to Oron in Akwa Ibom State when they came under attack.

The rescued passengers were safely escorted to FOB Ibaka without any casualty, while the Eastern Naval Command reaffirmed its commitment to sustained patrols, rapid response to distress situations and the continued fight against piracy, sea robbery and other maritime crimes within its area of responsibility. (Daily Trust)