By Precious Igbonwelundu, Halima Balogun and Dorcas Aluko
Commandant, Kofi Anan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) Maj.-Gen. Francis Ofori has blamed the crisis in Libya on sophisticated piracy and other armed violence in the Gulf of Guinea (GOG) .
He spoke at the inauguration of a five-day maritime security training for key maritime law enforcement agencies in Victoria Island, Lagos.
Elaborating on the issue during a side interview, Ofori emphasised that as long as Libya remained unstable, criminality in the GOG would continue, noting that the criminals were now more sophisticated because of weapons entering the gulf region from Libya.
“As long as Libya remains unstable, criminalities in the Gulf of Guinea will continue. I made that comment with respect to the sophistication with which these criminals engage at sea and anybody who is following the situation in Libya knows there is a proliferation of weapons in the Sahel as a result of instability in Libya.
“That is the context in which I made the comment. Once these weapons find space in the Sahel, definitely they will find space in the sub-western African region along the littoral states – Ghana, Benin Republic, Nigeria, Cameroon and those along the coast.
“Increasingly, the pirates are getting more sophisticated because of the weapons that might be coming largely from Libya and then also some procure through other means,” he said.
The Nation reports that the KAIPTC training was done in collaboration with the Nigerian Navy (NN), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Japanese Government to boast capacity of maritime law enforcers.
Ofori said the training held in Nigeria as a result of the country’s geo-strategic importance in the fight against maritime criminality in the GOG.
“Despite the potential offered by the Gulf of Guinea in terms of its rich resources and also as a critical maritime transport route, the region is bedevilled with a myriad of challenges that impede developmental efforts, and ultimately, the human security of the people in the region.
“The latest report from the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) indicates that incidents in the Gulf of Guinea are particularly dangerous as over 80% of attackers were armed with sophisticated weapons.
“In 2020, the region accounted for 96 per cent of crew kidnappings globally. Since 2019, the Gulf of Guinea has experienced an unprecedented rise in the number of multiple crew kidnappings.”
The IMB report also showed a rapid expansion of piracy and armed robbery operations into nine countries in the region including, Nigeria, Benin Republic, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Sao Tome and Principe, and Gabon, targeting a variety of vessels to include tankers, container ships, general cargo vessels, fishing vessels, passenger vessels, and numerous vessels supporting oil drilling and production.
“Undoubtedly, the pirates have become more organised, more sophisticated in their efforts. All these maritime crimes are ongoing and increasing at a rate not matched by the response capacities of states. “The pervasiveness of maritime security threats across the region therefore illustrates the need for a holistic approach to maritime security response in the region. Sustainable development of the blue economy, improvement of the wellbeing of coastal communities and commitment and collaboration across agencies and governments therefore becomes key in reducing maritime insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea,” said Ofori.
Earlier, the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Jason Gbassa, said the need for safeguarding sea transport especially while observing COVID-19 protocols was increasing.
The FOC who was represented by Chief Staff Officer (CSO), Naval Training Command, Rear Admiral Monday Kohwo Unurhiere, stressed the need for cooperation amongst security agencies within the domain.
“A holistic approach in the management of Nigeria’s maritime environment would therefore require a coordinated approach among the security agencies operating within the domain. It also calls for integrated capabilities, doctrine and interoperability.
“You would agree with me that in contemporary times, the magnitude of most maritime crimes and the interlinkages among them, coupled with the diversity of impacts they produce, has necessitated calls for co-operatively framed responses in order to match our response capabilities with the increasing crime rate” he said.
UNDP’s representative, Ms Melody Azinim reinstated the agency’s commitnent to support initiatives that advance security and progressive development.
She said the UNDP has worked with KAIPTC and the Japanese Government for about 10 years in some regional projects that have resulted in a lot of development in terms of strengthening capacity of security agencies.
