Nigerian Navy induct new assets to fight piracy
(9 Dec 2021) The Nigerian navy on Thursday inducted new patrol and defence boats, ships and helicopter into its fleet to help secure its waters and fight piracy in the highly perilous sea in the Gulf of Guinea.
The inducted platforms will "greatly bolster the efforts of the service in securing Nigerian maritime environment," said Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Gulf of Guinea, off the coasts of Nigeria, Guinea, Togo, Benin and Cameroon, is the most dangerous sea in the world for piracy, according to the International Maritime Bureau.
The bureau reported that as many as 15 Gulf of Guinea littoral states recorded such attacks from around 2018 to 2020, with Nigeria as the piracy hotspot.
The attacks on the sea have increased rapidly over the years. International Maritime Organization reported 90 of such incidents in 2020, a 350% increase from 20 recorded in 2019.
At least 112 crew members were reported as kidnapped/missing last year, the organization said.
Nigerian navy chief, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo said the newly inducted platforms "will lead to further decline in criminal activities in our maritime domain."
In addition to being used for surveillance and patrol duties within the nation's waters, the vessels will also be used in securing Nigeria's oil and gas facilities in the oil-rich Niger Delta region where militants account for a majority of the sea pirates operating in West Africa.
Attacks by those militants – who often allege abandonment in a region grappling with a high rate of poverty – have threatened the revenue of the West African nation heavily dependent on crude oil and gas.
Buhari admitted Nigeria is in "a critical period where our country is faced with a serious decline in our revenue" amid the security woes it grapples with.
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