Tag: Navy

The Nigerian Navy has concluded plans to refurbish six warships belonging to the Benin Republic Navy (BRN) for improved security in the Gulf of Guinea.

The agreement for the repairs, which would be done at the Naval Dockyard Limited (NDL) on Victoria Island in Lagos, was signed at the BRN Headquarters in Cotonou.

Speaking after the historic event, the Admiral Superintendent for NDL, Rear Admiral Abolaji Orederu, said it was a testament to the visionary leadership and dynamic ingenuity of the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Ikechukwu Ogalla, that the Nigerian Navy was able to seal the deal.

He said the warships – BNS Pendjari, BNS Oueme, BNS Alibori, BNS Zou, BNS Matelot Brice Kpomasse and BNS Couffo, departed Cotonou at the weekend for Lagos, adding that the repairs would be carried out within 10 months.

The NDL boss said the naval yard was a strategic national asset and a force multiplier that handles the defence and maritime needs in the construction, maintenance, and repair of naval platforms.

According to him, the historic partnership with Benin Republic Navy will not only lead to the strengthening of that country’s navy but also enhance security of the Gulf of Guinea waters.

The Admiral Superintendent said he was hopeful that more ventures would be explored where the parties could operate to deliver groundbreaking innovations to improve maritime security in the region and promote further growth of their respective and collective economies.

He said talks about the repairs had been ongoing and Nigeria’s CNS, Vice Admiral Ikechukwu Ogalla, approved the NDL to engage the Benin Republic Navy.

“Based on that, we have had series of visits, surveys, assessments and have done all sorts of analyses on these vessels with the view to working out modalities for carrying out the repairs.

“Today is a historic day in the history of the Nigerian Navy and Benin Republic Navy. It is a very important occasion because this is indicative of talks about regional cooperation among navies of the region. It talks about enhancing operational efficiencies among the navies of the region and it also talks about enhancing friendships and cooperation among the navies of the region.

“The Naval Dockyard will be playing a key role in the execution of this contract; all arrangements have been put in place for the project. Some of the ships will go to Nigeria on their own steam, as in, they will sail to Nigeria, and some will have to be brought to Nigeria by some other means and then all the repairs will take place at the Naval Dockyard.”

“It is worthy of note that the Naval Dockyard stands proudly as a strategic national asset of Nigeria and a force multiplier to cater for the defence and maritime needs in the construction, maintenance, and repair of naval platforms.

“The yard also extends these services to the larger maritime/merchant community to promote and sustain Nigeria’s maritime sector towards enhancing national security.

“The NDL’s activities and achievements have stimulated indigenous shipbuilding and maintenance and facilitated local content development for self-reliance and national development.”

“To this end, the yard provides comprehensive engineering services to our clientele that cuts across the military, government agencies and the private sector, standing out as an institution propelling Nigeria’s maritime sector to greater heights while significantly contributing to cordial international relations and diplomacy.

“The Naval Dockyard Limited has demonstrated capacity and willingness to dock six Republic of Benin Navy patrol boats namely, BNS Pendjari, BNS Oueme, BNS Alibori, BNS Zou, BNS Matelot Brice Kpomasse and BNS Couffo, for repairs.

“As a capable and responsible corporate citizen, this bold step is aimed at positioning the Naval Dockyard Limited as a strategic player in shipbuilding and repairs as well as offshore construction and maritime support service provider within Nigeria, the West African region, and the African continent as a whole.

“It is further noteworthy that docking and repairing the vessels in the yard represents a significant milestone in improving our collective regional capacity in maritime security and military cooperation between both navies and nations.

“It is on this basis that I would like to state that the yard is committed and more than ready to execute the docking and repair of the vessels to restore them to optimum levels in line with the scope of work specified in the contract.

“I am therefore grateful to the Almighty God and pleased to sign the contract with the Republic of Benin Navy, on behalf of Naval Dockyard, as approved by our visionary and dynamic Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral E. I. Ogalla, Admiralty Medal.

“I am indeed confident that the contract between the Naval Dockyard Limited and the Republic of Benin Navy would strengthen international relations as well as mutual trust between the Nigerian Navy and Benin Navy, with several prospects for promoting bilateral relations between Nigeria and the Republic of Benin.

“This project is also expected to engender patronage from other navies within and outside the region as well as establish the yard as a regional hub for ship construction and maintenance, paving the way for greater achievements.”

Read Also: Naval Dockyard to refurbish six Benin Republic Navy warships

The Nation reports that with such moves, the Nigerian Navy, through the NDL, may soon become a major hub of maintenance of naval acquisitions within the West and Central African regions.

The Beninois Chief of Naval Staff, Captain Jean Le’on Olatoundji, expressed confidence in the ability of the Nigerian Navy to refurbish their vessels.

The naval boss said he initiated the discussions when he was invited to the 66th anniversary of Nigerian Navy in Lagos.

According to him, he saw how the vessels at the NDL were maintained and asked Nigeria s Chief of the Naval Staff how they were able to do it? Olatoundji said he was pleased with the responses he got and so, he immediately asked the Nigerian CNS about the possibility of the NDL refurbishing his country’s warships and also training his personnel, which was granted.

He noted that the Nigerian Navy was presently, the major provider of assets and resources for the patrol of the MCC Zone E Block of the Gulf of Guinea, adding that once his ships were repaired, they would also be deployed to keep maritime criminals in check.

“The refurbishing will really impact Benin Navy. The Benin Navy will be very operational and that will help us with the personnel, especially for everyone concerned about the maritime domain.

“I have said earlier that it (the partnership) was one of its kind. This project, if conducted rightfully to the end, will also impact the blue economy, maritime economy of the region,” he said.

Also, at the agreement signing ceremony was the Nigerian Ambassador to Benin Republic, Saidu Tiggi, as well as members of his entourage, the Defence Attachee, and the Deputy Defence Attachee.

Operatives of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) BEECROFT weekend arrested a Motor Tanker (MT) SAISNIL II for alleged involvement in crude oil theft.

The vessel with the St. Vincent and Grenadines flag had 11 crew members at the time it was arrested at 199 nautical miles off Lagos Anchorage.

According to a statement by the Base Information Officer, Lieutenant Hussaini Ibrahim, the vessel was suspected of illegality after it turned off its Automatic Identification System (AIS).

He said turning off the AIS itself was a grievous infraction as it would make its activity within the country’s waters not to be determined.

Read Also: Navy warns against drug abuse, offers rehabilitation

He quoted the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Western Naval Command (WNC), Rear Admiral Mohamed Hassan, to have said that the turning off of the AIS necessitated the deployment of a patrol boat, NNS SOKOTO, which arrested the vessel and brought it back to Lagos Anchorage.

He said: “According to the FOC, SAISNIL II initially sailed from Lagos Anchorage on 23 November 2023 to Taraba Jetty in Port Harcourt, Rivers State to evacuate about 720,000 liters of crude oil sludge but the manipulation of its AIS around ABO Field for over 48 hours gave rise to a reasonable suspicion of illegalities.”

The navy said samples of the product found onboard had been collected and taken for analysis, urging other stakeholders who may want to collect samples for their independent testing should come forward.

He said the result of the analysis would determine their next line of action.

He said: “The successful detection leveraging technology and arrest of MT SAISNIL II despite the distance from the coast aligns with key priorities of the Strategic Directives of Vice Admiral EI Ogalla, Chief of the Naval Staff, emphasizing the Navy’s unweaving commitment to eradicating crude oil theft within the nation’s maritime environment for economic prosperity of our dear nation.”

• Two ‘smugglers’ arrested, bags of rice seized

Nine men who sneaked into a vessel with the intention to follow it to Spain have been arrested by the Nigerian Navy (NN) in Lagos.

They were arrested by operatives of the NNS BEECROFT after they were sighted clinging unto the rudder of the vessel by personnel manning the maritime domain surveillance facility, Falcon Eye.

The Nation reports that the Merchant Vessel was at the Lagos Port in Apapa to discharge cargo and was at the Lagos Anchorage area when the irregular migrants were arrested.

The stowaways were said to have been in the cold at the Anchorage area for five days waiting for the vessel to begin its homeward journey to Spain.

 Handing over the suspects to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Commander NNS BEECROFT, Commodore Kolawole Oguntuga, said they neither considered the risk to their lives nor the image of the country before embarking on the journey.

“They were found on the rudder blade, which is outside of the hull of the ship and is usually submerged. They would have died, considering the extreme exposure to the sea and wind.

“The swift and commendable efforts of the patrol team ensured the timely intervention, and also helped to avoid what would have caused potential security threats associated with unauthorized access.

“The stowaways have been disembarked and handed over to the Nigerian Immigration Service for necessary action.

“This incident highlights the crucial role of the Nigerian Navy in maritime security and upholding the rule of law, exemplifying the unwavering dedication under the leadership of Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, Chief of the Naval Staff,” he said.

One of the suspects, Arebo Aseko, a native of Ilaje in Ondo State said he regretted his actions.

The 26-year-old suspect who admitted that he took the dangerous journey from Nigeria to Italy, said it took him about 14 days to travel from Nigeria to Libya and subsequently to Italy.

“I was deported from Italy after taking the risk to go on a journey through the desert to Libya and later to Italy. I thought this attempt would have taken me to Spain” he added.

Another suspect who identified himself as Denise Commander, said he paid N4,000 to a fisher man who smuggled him to where the vessel was anchored in Apapa port.

According to him, it was the fisherman who provided him with details of the ship and that it would take 14 days to get to Spain.

Read Also: Navy arrests nine Spain-bound stowaways

Meanwhile, personnel of the NN Forward Operating Base (FOB), Ibaka in Mbo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State apprehended two suspected smugglers and seized 38 bags of rice as well as the boat used in smuggling the contraband.

The FOB’s Commanding Officer, Navy Capt. Uche Aneke, said this while handing over the suspects and the 38 bags of parboiled rice to the Nigerian Customs Service in Ibaka yesterday.

Aneke said the suspects were arrested on January 4 at about 08:30am.

He said that intelligence indicated that a boat was conveying some foreign parboiled rice suspected to have been smuggled from Cameroon to Nigeria and being ferried through the waters under the FOB Ibaka area of responsibility.

“Consequently, the gunboats from the Base on routine patrols, through a stop and search operation were able to intercept two suspected smugglers in a fibre boat that contained 38 bags of 50kg contraband foreign parboiled rice concealed under nine empty drums of 250 litres covered with a canopy,” Aneke said.

Receiving the suspects, along with the seized items, Superintendent of Custom, Bolaji Ajao, said that the team would take the suspects for further investigation and prosecution.

Nine Nigerians who sneaked into a vessel to follow it to Spain have been arrested by the Nigerian Navy (NN).

They were arrested by operatives of the NNS BEECROFT in Lagos after they were sighted clinging to the rudder of the vessel by naval operatives manning the maritime domain surveillance facility, Falcon Eye.

The Nation reports that the Merchant Vessel was at the Lagos Port in Apapa to discharge cargo and was at the Lagos Anchorage area when the irregular migrants were arrested.

The stowaways were said to have been in the cold at the Anchorage area for five days waiting for the vessel to begin its homeward journey.

Handing over the suspects to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Commander NNS BEECROFT, Commodore Kolawole Oguntuga, said they neither considered the risk to their lives nor the image of the country before embarking on the journey.

He said: “They were found on the rudder blade, which is outside of the hull of the ship and is usually submerged. They would have died, considering the extreme exposure to the sea and wind.

Read Also: Navy hands over N120m Marijuana to NDLEA

“The swift and commendable efforts of the patrol team ensured the timely intervention and also helped to avoid what would have caused potential security threats associated with unauthorized access.

“The stowaways have been disembarked and handed over to the Nigerian Immigration Service for necessary action.

“This incident highlights the crucial role of the Nigerian Navy in maritime security and upholding the rule of law, exemplifying the unwavering dedication under the leadership of Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, Chief of the Naval Staff.”

One of the suspects, Arebo Aseko, a native of Ilaje in Ondo state said he regrets his action.

The 26-year-old suspect who admitted that he once took the dangerous journey from Nigeria to Italy, said it took him about 14 days to travel from Nigeria to Libya and subsequently to Italy.

He added: “I was deported from Italy after taking the risk to go on a journey through the desert to Libya and later to Italy. I thought this attempt would have taken me to Spain.”

Another suspect who identified himself as Denise Commander, said he paid N4,000 to a fisherman who smuggled him to where the vessel was anchored in Apapa port.

According to him, it was the fisherman who provided him with details of the ship and that it would take 14 days to get to Spain.

Over 60 bags of illicit substance suspected to be Marijuana impounded by the Nigerian Navy (NN) have been handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Lagos.

The substances weighing 2.5 tons and with a street value of about N120m, were seized by operatives of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) BEECROFT in Lagos.

Handing over the exhibits to the NDLEA, Commander NNS BEECROFT, Commodore Kolawole Oguntuga, said they were seized from a large wooden boat detected by the Navy’s surveillance gadgets, a statement from the service said yesterday.

It said Oguntuga noted that the handover was further testimony to the interagency collaboration in the continued fight against illegalities in the country’s maritime environment.

“The Navy has deployed a lot of assets including electro-optical devices, which have improved round-the-clock survey of Nigeria’s maritime domain.

Read Also: Tinubu explains reasons for cabinet size

“The devices enabled the Navy to detect a large wooden boat carrying the narcotics at Ibeju-Lekki area of Lagos State.

“We are handing over these items to the appropriate agency in charge of narcotics which is the NDLEA.

“We will keep going after these unscrupulous people perpetrating illegalities and bring them to book. We will continue to work assiduously to rid the maritime environment of illegalities because we understand the nexus between drug abuse, criminality and violence,’’ the statement read.

In his remarks, NDLEA’s Deputy Commander, Narcotics, Austin Opiepe, noted that the NDLEA and the NN had a cordial working relationship which had led to the seizure of many bags of Marijuana and other illicit drugs in the past.

He assured that the NDLEA would destroy the Indian hemp after obtaining court approvals.

Operatives of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) BEECROFT have intercepted a wooden boat laden with over 800 jerricans of 30-litre capacity containing suspected stolen Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).

The boat was arrested during a joint operation with operatives attached to the Forward Operating Base (FOB) Badagry.

The Nation gathered that the boat was observed to have been sailing seaward 80 nautical miles from the shore and very close to the boundary between Nigeria and the Benin Republic, in the early hours of yesterday.

Read Also: Reducing cost of governance (2)

“This successful arrest aligns with key priorities of the Strategic Directives of Vice Admiral EI Ogalla, Chief of the Naval Staff, emphasizing the Navy’s unweaving commitment to curbing crime and criminality within the nation’s maritime environment for the economic prosperity of our dear nation,” said NNS BEECROFT Commander, Commodore Kolawole Oguntuga.

He stated that the Nigerian Navy would sustain dominance of the maritime space leveraging technology and other means to curb illegalities.

The Commander appealed to Nigerians not to relent in providing credible information necessary to ensure the maritime environment remained safe for legitimate businesses to thrive.