The Nigerian Navy has disrupted an extortion network that allegedly subjected fishermen and other waterway users to persistent intimidation and illegal levies along the Bonny Creek axis of Rivers State.
The Director of Naval Information, Capt. Abiodun Folorunsho, disclosed this in an operational report issued on Tuesday in Abuja.
According to Folorunsho, personnel of the Forward Operating Base (FOB) Bonny, working alongside troops of the Nigerian Army, acted on credible intelligence and dealt a significant blow to criminal elements operating from a hideout in the Asaramatoru community.
He said the operation forced the suspects to flee their hideout, while a search of the area led to the recovery of several operational items.
“Items recovered include a 7.62mm empty magazine, a General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) butt, several ATM cards and other items of intelligence value,” he said.
Folorunsho added that community members revealed that the criminal group had turned the area into a sanctuary from which it launched attacks on fishermen and commuters.
“The members of the community said the group extorts residents and demand proceeds from market sales.
“The operation has therefore restored confidence among the affected community and disrupted the activities of the criminal syndicate within the Bonny Creek corridor,” he said.
He further stated that the operation yielded valuable intelligence that would support follow-up actions aimed at identifying, tracking and dismantling the wider criminal network operating in the area.
Folorunsho reaffirmed the Navy’s commitment to sustaining intelligence-driven operations and protecting coastal communities.
He assured Nigerians that the Navy would continue to deny criminal elements the freedom to exploit the nation’s waterways for kidnapping, sea robbery, extortion and other criminal activities.
