Defence Headquarters has said that the Maritime component of the Armed forces had continued to hit hard on criminal entrepreneurs and arrested fishing trawler in the maritime domain.
The Acting Director, Defence Media Operations, Brig.-Gen. Bernard Onyeuko, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.
Onyeuko disclosed that the Nigerian Navy Ship Delta patrol teams located an illegal refining site around Opumami in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta during its anti-Crude Oil Theft (COT)/anti-illegal bunkering operations during the week.
He added: In the same vein, Nigerian Navy Ship Dorina while on routine patrol arrested a fishing trawler, Hajiya Binta for operating in Nigerian waters without its Automatic Identification System (AIS).
The arrest was effected at about 5 nautical miles off the ESCRAVOS breakwaters.
Upon interrogation, the Captain of the vessel, affirmed that the AIS of the vessel was not operational as at the time of her arrest due to a fault it developed while at sea.
Hajiya Binta was handed over to NIMASA officials on 31 Mar 2020 in line with due process, he said.
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