Navy intercepts over 200 bags of cannabis

Attempt by a gang of sea robbers to convey 200 bags of  cannabis through the Lagos water channel to the land, at the early hours of Monday, has been foiled by personnel of the Nigerian Navy Ship, NNS Beecroft, following the interception of the illicit substance.

The gang, according to the Commander, NNS Beecroft, Commodore Kolawole Oguntuga, during a press conference at the NNS Beecroft, Apapa, Lagos, yesterday, escaped on sighting the personnel approaching.

He attributed the interception of the illicit substance to the state-of-the-art maritime awareness domain facility technology, which detected activities of the sea robbers around the Ibeju-Lekki area of Lagos.

According to Oguntuga, “Falcon Eye was able to detect activities of the criminals in the early hours of Monday, July 3, 2023, while the criminals were transferring bags of cannabis sativa from boats to land.

“As soon as we detected that, we activated patrol teams both on water and on land to ensure they did not escape, because we understood there is a relationship between drugs, crime and violence.  

“As the perpetrators noticed our men, they absconded, abandoning the boats and vehicles. But their consignment was confiscated. We were able to recover over 200 bags of cannabis sativa. Each bag weighs over 50 kg. I am sure it is worth over N60 million.”

He said the recovered items would be handed over to the appropriate agency and that the Navy would ensure the matter was handled appropriately, in accordance with the standard procedure.

He therefore warned criminals to desist from carrying their nefarious activities close to the Lagos water channels, informing that the Navy under the leadership of the present Chief of Naval Staff, remained poised and resolute   at ensuring that no stone was left unturned to keep the maritime environment safe for Nigeria’s economic prosperity.

To ensure this, Commodore Oguntuga said, “We are also going to ensure we block  every aspect of the maritime environment and ensure these drugs do not enter into the society.   We have our men positioned   at different areas. We are aware the   maritime environment is   vast , with a coastline of 420 nautical miles. But with the Falcon Eye as a game changer, we will have our vessels vectored to the exact point. I think this interception    alone will serve as a deterrent”.