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

The operation was disclosed in a statement issued by the Director of Naval Information, Navy Capt. Abiodun Folorunsho, and made available to journalists in Abuja.

According to the statement, the latest operation was carried out at Dayspring Island, where naval troops had earlier destroyed a militant hideout and established a forward security outpost to maintain presence in the area.

Folorunsho said the troops sustained pressure on identified criminal enclaves in the waterways, leading to the discovery of 10 outboard boat engines.

He explained that the engines were concealed in nearby bushes and inside a structure linked to a suspected militant.

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

The Navy said the recovery was part of ongoing efforts to weaken the movement and operational capacity of criminal groups operating along the waterways.

In a related operation, Folorunsho said naval troops acted on fresh intelligence and advanced into a creek near Akpamfi.

He said the movement of troops into the area forced suspected militants to flee their hideout.

According to him, the suspects abandoned two fibre boats and a 200-horsepower outboard engine, which were recovered by the troops.

The navy said the seizure of the boats and engines was significant because such items were critical to the operations of militants and kidnappers in riverine communities.

Folorunsho noted that the operations were aimed at dismantling the logistics network used by militant groups to move around the waterways.

He said boats and outboard engines had become essential tools for criminals involved in kidnapping, attacks and other illegal activities in the area.

The navy spokesman added that the sustained offensive had significantly degraded the operational capability of the militants.

According to him, the operations had restricted the movement of the suspects, disrupted their supply lines and denied them safe havens in the creeks.

The Nigerian Navy reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining the ongoing operations until criminal elements were flushed out of the waterways.

Folorunsho said the service would continue to secure the Calabar waterways and ensure that residents, traders, fishermen and other legitimate users of the riverine routes could go about their activities without fear.

He added that the navy would maintain pressure on identified criminal hideouts as part of efforts to restore peace and security to affected communities in Cross River State.