Nigeria, which accounts for 65 per cent of cargo generated and accounts for the largest population within the region, is central to the success or otherwise of the fight against piracy in the GoG.
Maritime insecurity has economic, social and environmental implications in the region, but Nigeria must leave no stone unturned to solve the challenges, which has led it to approaching the menace through a total spectrum maritime strategy which include law enforcement, regional cooperation, response capability building and enhanced maritime domain awareness for all organs of government responsible for maritime security.
Toward that end, Nigeria has installed satellite surveillance systems, Coastal Radar systems, and the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System GMDSS amongst others. The Anti-Piracy Bill, which is currently undergoing legislative procedures, is aimed at criminalising piracy and all maritime crimes in the country’s maritime domain with attendant punishment enshrined in the Nigerian legal framework.
Implementation of an Integrated National Surveillance and waterways protection solution with command and control infrastructure in the agency is part of Nigerian government deep blue contract to enhance security in the Gulf of Guinea.
Furthermore, Nigerian Navy has stepped up its activities in the Nigerian creeks which has seen the figures of illegal refineries destroyed rise exponentially from 97 in 2015 to over 1221 in 2017.
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