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The Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Beecroft has intercepted about 1.9 tonnes of cannabis in separate operations and arrested 25 stowaways aboard commercial vessels within its area of responsibility in Lagos and adjoining waters.
The Commander, NNS Beecroft, Commodore Adams Aliu, Wednesday stated this at a maritime stakeholders’ meeting held at the officers’ mess of the Western Naval Command in Apapa, Lagos, where participants called for stronger collaboration to address maritime and community security challenges.
Aliu said the operations were part of efforts to combat drug trafficking, smuggling, illegal bunkering and other criminal activities threatening security in the maritime environment.
He described the prevailing security situation as calm but requiring constant monitoring and improved cooperation among security agencies, maritime operators, government authorities and host communities.
Giving details of the operations, the commander said five bags of cannabis weighing 480 kilogrammes were recovered around Abule Odo, Lagos, on February 18, 2026, while illicit substances, including cannabis, tramadol and codeine, were seized at Idi Araba, Apapa.
He added that two bags of cannabis weighing 192 kilogrammes were intercepted at Ikare Island on April 28, while 11 bags weighing 756 kilogrammes were recovered at Wiliki Post, off Alpha Beach, on July 22.
The recovered substances were handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency for further investigation.
Aliu also disclosed that the command arrested 25 stowaways aboard commercial vessels at different locations, including Lagos Anchorage, Lekki Dangote Terminal and Takwa Bay, before handing them over to the Nigeria Immigration Service.
He said other suspects had been transferred to relevant security agencies, including the police, Nigerian Army, Department of State Services and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
The commander emphasised that maritime crimes often originate from or terminate on land, making community participation critical to effective security operations.
He urged stakeholders to establish reliable channels for reporting suspicious movements and emerging threats, while advocating designated security officers, improved communication and coordinated incident reporting.
The Apapa local government chairman, Senbajo Idowu Abike, expressed concern over drug trafficking, child abuse, human trafficking and the growing involvement of young people in street gangs.
Abike acknowledged improvements in security compared with previous years but warned that criminal activities continued to threaten residents, particularly schoolchildren.
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