At least four foreigners have been identified among nine suspected oil thieves arrested in Lagos, Nigeria's economic hub, a navy commander said Thursday.

Three Greek nationals, an American and five Nigerians were arrested aboard SEA ANGELS 3 during an operation named "Junction Rain", Navy Commander Dickson Olisemenogor told reporters, while handing over the suspects to the police in Lagos.

The suspects were arrested for alleged possession of firearms and suspected crude oil theft within the maritime domain, the navy chief said.

Further search on the boat showed they had four MI riffles and more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition, and various military kits, he added.

The suspects and the vessel would be handed over to the authorities for prosecution after investigations, the official added.

Nigeria has been a hot spot for piracy incidents over the past decade. The International Maritime Bureau (IMB), in its recent report, said that Nigeria experienced a decrease in reported piracy incidents in the first quarter of 2019.

Nigeria reported 14 incidents of piracy for first quarter of 2019, in comparison to 22 incidents in first quarter of 2018.

The results confirmed the Nigerian Navy's increased efforts to actively respond to reported incidents by dispatching patrol boats.

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