The Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo, on Thursday said the country has been removed from the International Maritime Bureau’s (IMB) piracy list, a confirmation of the gains of sustained anti-piracy war.
Gambo made the disclosure at the maiden Nigeria- European Union collaboration ceremony on maritime security held at the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) BEECROFT, Apapa, Lagos.
The CNS who was represented by the Naval Chief of Policy and Plans, Rear Admiral Suleiman Garba, noted that the Navy’s consistent operations as well as efforts by other maritime stakeholders and partners led to the achievement of the feat.
“The commitment of the Nigerian Navy towards maritime security has yielded dividends and a lot has been achieved by the Nigerian Navy in the safeguard of the Gulf of Guinea (GoG). Nigeria has continued to record successes in the anti-piracy war as activities of pirates in the Gulf of Guinea have reached an all-time low in more than a decade.
“The Nigerian Navy has continuously acquired new assets and has further improved its capabilities to maintain a large fleet and to operate far beyond its territorial waters,” he said.
Talking about the navy’s collaborations, he said: “A notable result from the collaboration is the arrest of 10 pirates whose jail terms were secured for hijacking a Chinese fishing vessel, FV HAI LU FENG II off Cote D’Ivoire in May 2020…
“I applaud the Federal Government’s commitment and decisive initiative on the Deep Blue Project to tackle the menace of maritime insecurity in the waterways.
“I also commend the European Union (EU) for the fundamental support and partnership in operationalising the Yaoundé Code of Conduct through diverse programmes and initiatives towards capacity development in the Gulf of Guinea.
“We have engaged with you in notable programmes such as the support to West Africa Integrated Maritime Security (SWAIMS) which only this week donated 30 Rigid Hulled Inflatable Boats to 12 West African coastal states.”