... Inter-agency Collaboration Key to
Maritime Security – Jamoh
Harboursandport.com: Lagos - The Nigerian Maritime
Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has restated its commitment to
collaboration among relevant agencies and stakeholders for the security of the
country’s maritime domain. Director-General of the Agency, Dr. Bashir Jamoh,
stated this in Lagos during the official handover of pirates arrested by the
Nigerian Navy for prosecution.
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Commander of Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Beecroft,
Commodore Ibrahim Shettima in a chat with the Head, Legal Services, NIMASA, Mr.
Victor Egejuru after the parading of the arrested pirates at NNS Beecroft,
Apapa, Lagos.
The 10 pirates had on May
15 attacked and boarded a Chinese vessel, MV HAILUFANG II, off the coast of
Côte d'Ivoire and directed it towards Nigerian waters. They were arrested by
the Nigerian Navy, which dispatched a ship to intercept the vessel after it got
an alert.
The prosecution of the
pirates would be the first trial of bandits arrested in international waters
under the Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences (SPOMO) Act signed
into law in June last year by President Muhammadu Buhari. The law made Nigeria
the first in West and Central Africa to have a distinct antipiracy
legislation.
Jamoh attributed the
successful operation that led to the arrest of the pirates and rescue of the
ship and its crew to collaboration between NIMASA and the Nigerian Navy. He
said the Agency will continue to work with relevant security agencies in order
to achieve its goal of eradicating piracy and all forms of illegality on the
Nigerian waters.
The Director-General
stated, “We have just witnessed the handover of pirates. This is as a result of
the robust collaboration between NIMASA and the Nigerian Navy. There has been a
lot of synergy between NIMASA and the Navy with regard to the Suppression of
Piracy and Other Maritime Offences Act.
“I also want to seize the
opportunity to thank Mr. President for signing the anti-piracy law, which would
facilitate sufficient prosecution of these pirates.”
Jamoh, who was represented
by the Agency’s Head of Legal Services, Mr. Victor Egejuru assured that with
the anti-piracy law, there was ample legal framework to prosecute pirates and
other perpetrators of maritime offences in the country to bring the
menace to the barest minimum.
Commander of Nigerian
Navy Ship (NNS) Beecroft, Commodore Ibrahim Shettima, who gave details of the
naval operation said the vessel had 18 crew members comprising Chinese,
Ghanaians, and Ivorians.
Shettima said, “On
interception of the vessel about 140nm south of Lagos Fairway Buoy, the pirates
had refused to comply with the orders of the Navy ship, hence the Nigerian Navy
had to conduct an opposed boarding of the vessel. All ship crew were safely
rescued, while the 10 pirates were also arrested.”
He stressed the need for
increased regional cooperation and information sharing, disclosing that the
arrest of the pirates was due to a tip-off by the Beninoise Navy. Shettima
warned criminal elements to stay away from Nigerian waters and the Gulf of Guinea,
saying the Navy has the capability to deal with such threats.
Jamoh has said the
current management of NIMASA will focus on three main areas, namely, Maritime
Security, Safety, and Shipping Development, in pursuit of a robust maritime
domain for the country.
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