Navy Raids Militant Strongholds, Recovers Boats, Outboard Engines in Calabar
The Nigerian Navy has raided militant strongholds in Cross River State, recovering boats and outboard engines
in a renewed offensive targeting criminal networks operating along the Calabar waterways.
The operation, conducted within the Calabar waterways, followed an earlier assault by personnel of Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) VICTORY and Forward Operating Base (FOB) IBAKA, which led to the destruction of a key militant hideout at Dayspring Island and the arrest of a suspected collaborator.
According to a statement by the Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, troops sustained pressure on identified enclaves through follow-up operations, leading to the discovery of 10 outboard boat engines concealed in nearby bushes and within a structure linked to a suspected militant known as “Juju.”
Folorunsho said the items were immediately seized and secured as part of efforts to dismantle the logistics network sustaining militant activities in the area.
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“In a related operation based on fresh intelligence, troops advanced into a creek near Akpamfi, where additional militant logistics had been concealed. On sighting naval personnel, the militants fled, abandoning two fibre boats and one 200-horsepower outboard engine,” he said.
The recovered equipment was subsequently towed to a naval security outpost established in the area to consolidate operational gains.
The Navy said the operations were part of a deliberate strategy to degrade the operational capability of militant groups by targeting critical assets such as fibre boats and high-powered engines, which are commonly used to facilitate attacks, kidnappings, and illegal activities along the waterways.
Folorunsho noted that the sustained offensive has significantly restricted the movement of criminal elements and denied them safe havens within the region.
He reaffirmed the Navy’s commitment to maintaining pressure on militant networks, stressing that operations would continue until all criminal elements are flushed out and the waterways secured for legitimate economic activities.
The Navy also urged members of the public to provide credible information to support ongoing operations.
By PRNigeria
