The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has restated its commitment to collaborate with relevant agencies in order to achieve its goal of eradicating piracy and all forms of illegality on Nigerian waters.
Bashir Jamoh, director-general of NIMASA, stated this in Lagos during the official handover of pirates arrested by the Nigerian Navy for prosecution.
Earlier on May 15, the 10 arrested pirates had 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 on international waters under the implementation of the Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences (SPOMO) Act signed into law in June 2019 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.
“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 regards to the Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences Act,” Jamoh said.
Represented by Victor Egejuru, head of Legal Services, Jamoh 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 reduce the menace to the barest minimum.
Ibrahim Shettima, commander of Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Beecroft, who gave details of the naval operation, said the vessel had 18 crew members comprising Chinese, Ghanaians, and Ivorians.
“On interception of the vessel, about 140 nautical miles 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 added.
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 would 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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