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From Aniekan Aniekan, Calabar
The Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Victory has sustained its offensive against militant elements in Cross River State, destroying another suspected militant camp at Ine Ikoridung coastal settlement in Bakassi Local Government Area.
The operation was carried out following credible intelligence indicating that the suspected militants had relocated to the remote coastal settlement after sustained naval patrols forced them to abandon their former base at Dayspring Island.
According to the Nigerian Navy, the suspects fled into the creeks on sighting NNS Victory patrol gunboats approaching the area. Troops subsequently cordoned off the settlement and conducted a thorough search of the identified huts believed to have been occupied by the fleeing militants.
Items recovered during the operation included five empty cartridges, one military camouflage vest, one police camouflage vest, one military pullover, one military jungle hat, and a notebook containing records of suspected militant fighters and the correctional facilities where they are serving prison terms.
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To prevent the criminals from returning to the location, the troops destroyed all the identified huts used as hideouts.
Speaking on the operation, the Base Information Officer, Lieutenant Commander Sulaiman Bala, said the relocation of the group to the remote coastal settlement was a direct consequence of the sustained operational pressure mounted by the Nigerian Navy.
“The relocation of the group to a remote coastal settlement is a result of continuous operational pressure from the Nigerian Navy, which is restricting their freedom of action and forcing them to abandon established hideouts,” Bala said.
He reaffirmed the commitment of NNS Victory to sustaining the ongoing offensive against criminal elements operating within the maritime domain.
According to him, the naval base will continue to maintain maximum operational pressure on militants and other criminal groups until peace and security are fully restored across the state’s coastal and maritime environment.
