The Nigerian Navy has arrested 10 suspected vandals conveying 210,000 litres of diesel, Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), concealed in water tanks inside a large wooden boat around the Lagos Anchorage.

A statement by the Information Officer, Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) BEECROFT, Sub-Lt. Veronica Effiong, on Saturday, said the vandals were arrested on May 8 by personnel of the NNS BEECROFT while on routine patrol.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects are of Nigerian origin attempting to smuggle the AGO to Benin Republic before their arrest,” the officer said.

She said the Commander, NNS BEECROFT, Commodore Bashir Mohammed, reiterated the commitment of the base to the protection of critical national infrastructure and the eradication of illegal activities in its area of responsibility.

“This is in line with the Chief of the Naval Staff’s mission statement and Strategic Directive of 2021-5.

“The determination of the Nigerian Navy to rid Nigeria’s Maritime space of all forms of criminality and the emplacement of a safe maritime environment for legitimate businesses has yielded a positive result,” she said.

Ms Effiong said the vandals and seized products had been handed over on June 15 to the Lagos Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corp (NSCDC) for further investigation and prosecution.

“I urge members of the public, especially our host communities, to kindly furnish the base with credible information to assist in curbing the activities of criminal elements and economic saboteurs,” she said.

(NAN)