New IMB Piracy Report highlights violence in West Africa
With the latest report released by the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), ranking the Gulf of Guinea as having overtaken Somalia in piracy menace, Nigeria and other ECOWAS leaders are stepping up efforts to police the coastal waters in the region, This Day Live reports
The latest report by the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) that Nigeria has now overtaken Somalia in terms of pirate attacks in West African sub-region is no doubt of serious concern to all international traders and indeed the Federal Government.
This is considering the implication on the national economy. This also explains the recent meeting of African leaders which focused on maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea held in Cameroun. Already, Nigeria is contesting the decision of the European shipowners to hike shipping charges on goods coming to the country as a result of increasing piracy.
The decision to hike charges was taken early last year by the shipowners who argue that vessels operating in the Gulf of Guinea are being attacked on regular intervals. Between 2011 and in recent time, there have been indeed spontaneous attacks on vessels which resulted in the death of some crew members on board as well as loss of cargoes.
Efforts by NIMASA to Tackle Piracy
The nation’s apex maritime body which is saddled with security on the territorial waters has been making efforts to address the issue of piracy. It was for this reason that the agency engaged the services of Global West Vessel Specialist Limited (GWVSL) to provide special security on vessels operating on the nation’s territorial waters.
This is in addition to the collaboration between the Nigerian Navy and the agency. It would be recalled that the GWVSL had last year lost its Managing Diector, Capt. Romeo Itima, in the war against oil thieves in Escravos, Warri. Director General of NIMASA, Mr Patrick Akpbolokemi had told newsmen that the activities of the pirates have a way of impacting negatively on attracting foreign investment to the country.
As at last year, NIMASA requested the engagement of 124 military personnel who will be part of its Maritime Guard Command (MGC), a unit that is part of the policing of the territorial waters. To a large extent, the unit has recorded arrests of pirates and checked the activities of oil thieves encouraging illegal refineries.
Perhaps, what has been the handicap of the agency is the fact that some of the suspects arrested have had to escape justice as NIMASA does not have the power of prosecution. The Deputy Director, Public Relations, Mr Isichei Osambi told THISDAY that the agency is on top of the situation in checking piracy on the nation’s territorial waters. Osambi said that Akpobolokemi in his concern about having safe territorial waters has ordered 24- hour policing of the Nigerian waters to protect all types of vessels. NIMASA apart from having security presence in Nigerian waters is also policing the coastal waters of Benin Republic because of the link with Nigeria.
Moves by African Leaders to Check Piracy
Apparently worried about the negative impact of piracy on the West African region, President Goodluck Jonathan and other African leaders met in Cameroun recently to discuss how to address the problem. It was a special summit of Heads of State and Governments of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Gulf of Guinea Commission (GGC) on maritime security in the region. Jonathan told journalists at the end of the meeting that since the highest number of attacks take place on the Nigerian waters, his administration will expand cooperation with other African countries to check the activities of the sea robbers
“The only way we can contain it is for the countries within the Central African region and West African region to come together. Already, Nigeria and Benin Republic have been partnering but we needto expand across the coast, the West African coast and the Central African coast. So this is the beginning of the end of these excesses of piracy, so we are quite pleased with the conference”, he said.
The Camerounian Minister of External Relations, Pierre Moukoko Mbonjo, in a communique released after the meeting, said the member states of the three blocs-ECOWAS, ECCAS and GGC agreed on a coalition for a multi-lateral assistance amongst all the 25 members against pirates.
