By Obiabin Onukwugha
The Nigerian government has called for collaborative efforts from African countries to tackle maritime crime in the Gulf of Guinea.
The government also stated that Nigeria is moving to fully operationalise the Combined Maritime Task Force (CMTF),.in order to strengthen the fight against piracy, crude oil theft, and drug and arms trafficking in the Gulf of Guinea.
Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (rtd), represented by Maj. Gen. Olufemi Akinjobi (rtd), made the call at the opening of the Third Maritime Security Symposium in Lagos, organised by the Africa Centre for Strategic Studies and the Combined Maritime Task Force (CMTF), on Monday.
The Minister called on more countries to join the CMTF, saying the maritime environment had long received inadequate attention in Africa despite its economic potential.
He said insecurity on the continent, particularly terrorism, was fuelled by drugs and weapons trafficked through the Gulf of Guinea, urging nations, the private sector and non-governmental bodies to join the initiative.
Also, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, represented by the Chief of Defence Policy and Plans, Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Francis Edosa, revealed that the Armed Forces of Nigeria was working towards deploying Nigerian Navy assets assigned to the task force, as part of the country’s commitment to regional maritime security.
He said the maritime domain was vital to Africa’s economy, supporting trade, fisheries, energy and transportation, but warned that criminal and terrorist networks continued to exploit the same space for piracy, trafficking and illegal fishing.
The CDS emphasised that such threats could not be tackled by any single country, noting that President Bola Tinubu had underscored Nigeria’s commitment by personally presenting the command flag to the CMTF’s commander at its launch.
Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, represented by the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Western Naval Command (WNC), Rear Admiral Abubakar Mustapha, said the symposium was meant to review existing maritime security frameworks, including the Yaounde Architecture, to improve the CMTF’s operational effectiveness.
He also stated that the Navy was already working with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), to intercept vessels suspected of ferrying illicit drugs from South America. The CNS disclosed that the two agencies had recently destroyed more than 516 kilogrammes of narcotics.
The United States Consul General in Lagos, Brandon Hudspeth, on his part noted that piracy incidents in the Gulf of Guinea had dropped significantly, adding that Nigeria had been removed from major piracy watchlists. He however warned against complacency as criminal networks kept adapting. He reaffirmed US support for regional maritime security through initiatives such as Obangame Express.
