The Nigerian Navy has disrupted a suspected militant financing network operating within the waterways of Cross River State, recovering extortion records worth over ₦5.5 million and a cache of suspected illicit drugs during a raid at Dayspring Island.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, said the operation was carried out by personnel of Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) VICTORY deployed at the Forward Security Outpost on Dayspring Island following credible intelligence on the activities of suspected militants in the Ini Abasi fishing settlement, Akpabuyo Local Government Area.
According to the Navy, intelligence reports revealed that the settlement served as a meeting point and operational base for criminal elements who coordinated attacks, intimidated residents, extorted fishermen and maritime transport operators, and engaged in other illegal activities across the waterways.
Acting on the intelligence, naval personnel conducted a targeted raid on the suspected hideout. Although the suspects reportedly fled on sighting the troops, the operation led to the recovery of several wraps of suspected cannabis sativa and a handwritten ledger containing names and monetary entries totaling ₦5.529 million.
The Navy said preliminary investigations indicate that the ledger was used to document illegal levies imposed on local fishermen and maritime transport operators, with the proceeds believed to have funded militant activities and other criminal operations within the Dayspring Island axis.
Describing the operation as a significant breakthrough, the Nigerian Navy noted that targeting illicit revenue sources remains a key strategy in dismantling the financial and logistical networks sustaining criminal activities in the maritime domain.
Following the raid, naval personnel engaged community leaders and residents, assuring them of the Navy’s commitment to maintaining a sustained security presence and conducting intelligence-driven operations to restore lasting peace and security in the area.
The Navy reaffirmed its resolve to sustain aggressive patrols, targeted operations, and community engagement efforts aimed at eliminating criminal elements and safeguarding legitimate economic activities within Nigeria’s maritime environment.
