Nigeria Begins Trial Of Pirates Under New Law

• Our Waters Now Safer For Shipping, DG Assures

To rid Nigeria’s waterways of crimes and reassure the global community that it is getting on top of the security issues in its maritime domain, the country will commence the prosecution of suspected pirates under the Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences (SPOMO) Act during the week.

Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh, disclosed this while speaking with journalists in Lagos.

Jamoh disclosed that the Nigerian Navy recently arrested the pirates, with intelligence support from NIMASA and that their trial would be the first under the antipiracy law signed by President Muhammadu Buhari in June last year.

The law made Nigeria the first in West and Central Africa to have a standalone antipiracy legislation.

He said NIMASA was embarking on a campaign to root out piracy and armed robbery in the country’s waterways, adding that Nigeria’s waters were now safer for navigation, as the proactive approach of NIMASA to safety and security at sea had started yielding fruits.

“This is evidenced in the multiple arrests of suspected pirates in the second quarter of the year,” he said, adding that NIMASA had sent a proposal to the Federal Government on the issue of providing incentives for stakeholders in the maritime sector.

He revealed that the Federal Ministry of Transportation was also putting final touches to arrangements for the disbursement of the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF), stressing that operators in the maritime industry would soon begin to access the fund.

The NIMASA boss said fighting crime with intelligence and technology had been the hallmark of his administration in the battle against piracy since it came on board three months ago.

Journalists, who were at the briefing, pledged their full support for the agency’s efforts to get rid of the pernicious obstacles to safe and secure navigation in the country’s waters.

Jamoh, who unveiled a three-point agenda on Maritime Safety, Maritime Security and Shipping Development, with the acronym 3s, on assumption of office, stated, “Collapsing our agenda into security, safety and shipping development has given us a bird’s-eye view of the challenges in our sector.

“Our strategy of nipping piracy in the bud is yielding positive fruits and that is why the Navy and the Police have arrested no fewer than 27 suspected pirates in the last two months.

“Our findings have revealed that these criminals work with the cooperation of international allies and that is what makes them sophisticated.

“We have set out to tackle them through intelligence gathering and collaboration with relevant stakeholders. Our recent arrests have shown the international community that we are not handling illegalities in our waters with kid gloves.”

He expressed delight at the changing international opinion on safety and security in Nigerian waters, as seen in a recent congratulatory letter by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to Nigeria for its zeal to make the country’s waters safe and secure.

On the question of incentives for the maritime sector, Jamoh stated,     “We have made proposals to President Buhari through the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, for approval to grant different incentives that would help us grow the industry.

“We are also working to ensure the disbursement of the CVFF. We believe that other sectors, like manufacturing and aviation, have leveraged on this sort of incentive to grow and that is the reason we are also looking in that direction.”

Jamoh also spoke on the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP), saying it was being redesigned to make it more effective.

He appealed to the media to ensure adequate and fair reportage of the activities of NIMASA, in order to properly inform and educate members of the public.

He said the sector had the potential to exponentially grow the Nigerian economy, given the enormous flora and fauna in the maritime environment, besides mineral resources and shipping activities.

Speaking, President, Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Mustapha Isah, said the media was willing to support NIMASA to achieve its mandate, adding that the success of the agency was vital to the whole country and urged his colleagues to give more attention to maritime in their reports.