Operatives of the Nigerian Navy, attached to Nigerian Navy Ship, NNS, Beecroft, have seized about 500 kilograms of suspected cannabis during a patrol operation in the Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos.
The illicit drugs, reportedly concealed in sacks, were intercepted on Thursday around the Abule Oshu axis during what naval authorities described as a routine but intelligence-driven patrol.
While handing over the recovered substance to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, on Friday, the Commander of NNS Beecroft, Commodore Aiwuyor Adams-Aliu, said the operation followed actionable intelligence on attempts by smugglers to move drugs through Lagos waterways.
According to him, the seizure forms part of sustained efforts by the Navy to block criminal access to Nigeria’s maritime routes and dismantle drug distribution networks operating between land and sea.
“Maritime crimes often originate from land, pass through the sea, and sometimes return to land. We are fully aware of the smuggling routes being exploited, including attempts by criminals from neighbouring countries to use our waterways, and that will no longer be tolerated,” Adams-Aliu said.
He disclosed that the suspects abandoned the consignment and fled on sighting naval operatives, adding that their identities had been established and efforts were ongoing to apprehend them.
The commander explained that the operation aligns with the strategic direction of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, aimed at maintaining a responsive and professional Navy through strong inter-agency collaboration.
“Our mission here is to reposition NNS Beecroft to effectively secure the waterways in and around Lagos and address crimes that move from land to sea and back to land. This seizure is a clear example of that mandate in action,” he said.
Adams-Aliu also stressed that the Navy would intensify raids on known drug hotspots across the state, noting that several suspects were arrested during a recent operation at a drug den in the Apart area.
Receiving the seized narcotics, the NDLEA’s Deputy Commander of Narcotics, Adejumo Gbenga, praised the Navy for its consistent support in the fight against drug trafficking.
“The Nigerian Navy remains one of our strongest operational partners in Lagos and nationwide. This collaboration has significantly strengthened our capacity to curb drug abuse and trafficking,” he said.
Gbenga added that investigations would continue to track and prosecute those behind the consignment, while naval operatives sustain their manhunt for the fleeing suspects.
