By SUMAILA OGBAJE

The Nigerian Navy has intensified its crackdown on militants and kidnappers in Cross River State, seizing boats and outboard engines during follow-up operations in the Calabar waterways.

This was contained in a statement by the Director of Naval Information, Navy Capt. Abiodun Folorunsho, made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Abuja on Monday.

Folorunsho said the operation was conducted at Dayspring Island, where naval troops had earlier destroyed a militant hideout and established a forward security outpost.

He said troops sustained pressure on identified enclaves, leading to the discovery of 10 outboard boat engines concealed in nearby bushes and within a structure linked to a suspected militant.

"All items were seized and secured by the troops,” he said.

He added that in a related operation based on fresh intelligence, troops advanced into a creek near Akpamfi, forcing militants to flee.

Folorunsho said that the fleeing suspects abandoned two fibre boats and a 200-horsepower outboard engine, which were subsequently recovered.

He noted that the operations were aimed at dismantling the logistics network of militant groups, as boats and engines were critical to their activities along the waterways.

He also said that the sustained offensive had significantly degraded the operational capability of the militants, restricted their movement and denied them safe havens.

The navy spokesman reaffirmed the service’s commitment to sustaining the operations until all criminal elements were flushed out and the waterways secured for legitimate activities. (NAN)