The Gulf of Guinea has witnessed a drastic reduction in incidences of piracy attacks following combined efforts by the Nigeria Navy and other security personnel, Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, said on Monday.
Vice Admiral Ibas said this while fielding questions from State House correspondents after he briefed President Muhammadu Buhari on security of maritime environment.
The President Buhari had last week met with the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, and the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Sadiq Abubakar on security issues in the country.
“On piracy, the assertion about the Gulf of Guinea being the most notorious Water in this part of the world has been taken seriously. In the last one year, we have in place a dedicated task force there to address this challenge.
“The good news is that we have been there wherever they are and we have been able to challenge them. Incidences have reduced drastically and we intend to continue to dominate these areas. A lot is being done by the Navy to contain the menace of pirates.
“The Nigeria’s new maritime strategy sees our activities going just beyond maritime environment. We have been part of the various joint task forces including the Lafiya Dole,” he said.
The Naval Chief said he also briefed the President on the ongoing exercise that the Navy is conducting with other partners within the region and other international partners aimed at building capacity and intelligence sharing.
He said the President had last year approved the establishment of an operational base for the Navy in the Lake Chad area to help provide security around the region.
“Lake Chad is a strategic location that provides the transportation means for four nations. The Nigeria Navy’s presence there is to help in consolidating on the security of that area and facilitate economic activities to pick up. The presence of the Navy there will help to hasten the development efforts of the community,” he said.
