The Nigerian Navy has taken a crucial step towards forming a joint task force with the navies of other Gulf of Guinea countries to combat the menace of sea piracy. As part of the Presidential Fleet Review 2023, this task force is set to be launched soon.
The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo, represented by the Chief of Policy and Plans, Rear Admiral Saidu Garba, disclosed this to journalists in Lagos during the NN Presidential Fleet Review (PFR) 2023 with the theme, “Fleet Readiness for National Prosperity.”
The task force will cover the entire Gulf of Guinea and will focus on information sharing and cooperation at sea to combat maritime criminality effectively. This initiative is set to bring an end to most cases of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.
According to Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo, the Nigerian Navy has recorded significant success in monitoring activities in Nigeria’s maritime domain and beyond, thanks to the NN surveillance capabilities. In the last two years, hardly any cases of piracy were reported in the Gulf of Guinea.
The joint task force’s establishment is not going to be a one-nation responsibility but a collective effort of all nations involved, with provisions for logistics and funding by all nations involved. There is a broad arrangement in place, which is derived from the African Union (AU).
Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo said, “We had a preliminary arrangement with heads of the navies and coast guards of the African continent last year, which gave birth to this initiative. This task force’s launch will set the ball rolling for a more secure Gulf of Guinea, and it is not going to be another Nigeria Father Christmas arrangement.”
In conclusion, this joint task force is a significant step towards ending sea piracy in the Gulf of Guinea. The cooperation and information-sharing among the Gulf of Guinea countries will help combat maritime criminality effectively.