The Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) BEECROFT has successfully intercepted a fibre boat carrying approximately 4,000 litres of a substance suspected to be Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) near the Atlas Cove area of Lagos. The operation, conducted in the early hours of Saturday, October 11, 2025, marks another major step in the Navy’s ongoing fight against economic sabotage and maritime crime.
Addressing journalists during a press briefing, the Executive Officer of NNS BEECROFT, Captain Idongesit Udoessien, who represented the Commander, Commodore Paul Ponfa Nimmyel, said the interception followed an intelligence-led surveillance operation. He explained that the patrol team, stationed at Tarkwa Bay, relied on real-time monitoring from the Nigerian Navy’s Maritime Domain Awareness system and the Falcon Eye surveillance facility to track and stop the vessel.
✅ According to him, the patrol team detected and intercepted the fibre boat at the approaches to Commodore Pool within the Atlas Cove general area. However, the suspects abandoned the boat and fled upon sighting naval personnel. The seized product has since been handed over to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Lagos State Command, for further investigation and necessary legal action.
Captain Udoessien emphasized that the operation aligns with the Chief of Naval Staff’s Strategic Directive to maintain a strong naval presence across Lagos waterways and adjoining creeks, thereby deterring oil theft, illegal bunkering, and other maritime crimes. He noted that the success underscores the Navy’s commitment under Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla to safeguarding Nigeria’s maritime domain and protecting national economic assets.
Issuing a warning to perpetrators of illegal oil trade, Udoessien stated that the Navy would not tolerate any form of economic sabotage. “NNS BEECROFT will not relent in pursuing all criminal elements operating within its jurisdiction. We will continue to intensify surveillance, patrols, and intelligence-driven operations to ensure that Lagos waterways remain safe for legitimate socio-economic activities,” he affirmed.
