Nigeria blames piracy on foreigners

Aims to rid territorial waters of private maritime security companies.

Navy blames foreigners for most of crime on Nigeria waters

By Benson Akomo

The Nigerian Navy (NN) on Wednesday blamed foreigners for responsible for most of piracy, illegal bunkering and other sea crimes committed in the nation’s maritime domain.

Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Western Naval Command (WNC) Rear Admiral Sanmi Alade said at the command’s headquarters in Lagos, while receiving crew members of visiting British ship, HMS Iron Duke that the NN was poised to take full control of the nation’s waterways and rid it of private security and criminals, noted that the country’s waterway was not a private affair.

“Giving the occurrences at our waters, the NN is now set to take complete ownership. A lot of people and nations have interest in our waters for obvious reasons,” he said.

“With the decline of piracy in the Gulf of Eden, it would not be wrong to say that most of the elements have left that area and found their way in the Gulf of Guinea, including our waters.

“Some foreigners have been arrested in our waters for perpetrating illegalities.

“Most of criminality in our waters are carried out by foreigners and not Nigerians. The era when the navy had challenges of platforms will soon be over because we will take delivery of some ships before the end of the year and command our waterways.”

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Source: worldstagegroup.com