A statement released on Saturday by the NNS Beecroft Base Information Officer, Sub-Lieutenant H. A Collins, confirmed that the arrest occurred on Friday.

According to the statement, Commodore Kolawole Oguntuga, the Commander, highlighted that the boat, sailing seaward 80 nautical miles from the shore, was intercepted by the NNS Beecroft Patrol Team working in conjunction with the Forward Operating Base Badagry.

He said, “In a feat of maritime security prowess, under the ongoing Operation Water Guard, the Nigerian Navy Ship Beecroft Patrol Team in collaboration with the Forward Operating Base Badagry, under the strategic leadership of the Commander Nigerian Navy Ship Beecroft and Maritime Component Commander, Operation AWATSE, Commodore Kolawole Oguntuga, successfully intercepted a huge wooden boat, laden with over 800 jerricans of 30 litres each containing products suspected to be PMS.

“The boat was sailing seaward 80 nautical miles from the shore very close to the boundary between Nigeria and Benin Republic. The arrest was made in the early hours of Friday, January 19, 2024.”