The menace of piracy in Nigeria’s territorial waters could be brought to an end if the National Assembly expedites action on the bill before it on piracy, the Nigerian Navy has said.
This remark was made in Calabar by Com Olukoya Bamidele, a guest lecturer and representative of the Nigerian Navy during an inter-agency corporation seminar organised by the Naval War College, Nigeria to discuss the Harmonized Standard Operating Procedures on Arrest, Detention and Prosecution of Vessels &Persons in Nigeria Maritime Environment (HSOP-AD&P).
The naval chief reasoned that the illicit trade had become a problem and a conduit for sabotaging the country’s economy and that the legal lacuna had made it almost impossible to stop the menace because at the end, perpetrators go free because there are no laws in Nigeria to prosecute them.
Speaking on the theme ‘Combating Smuggling through Inter-agency Cooperation,’ Bamidele said “piracy is a serious issue. In Bonny area alone this year, we have recorded several attacks and arrests have been made but our major challenge is prosecution.
“The bill developed and submitted by Nigeria Maritime Administration & Safety Agency (NIMASA) on combating and prosecuting offenders is in its second reading at the National Assembly.
“We hope that the 9th Assembly will pass the bill into law so that we could prosecute offenders as well as deter and serve as warning to others with the intentions of going into the illicit trade to desist from such.
“For now the people in custody cannot be tried, they can’t be prosecuted under our laws yet so many arrests are being made but no prosecution .As at today, there is no law in Nigeria that you can use to prosecute a pirate.”
He therefore called on the 9TH legislative Assembly to expedite action to nip the menace of piracy in the mud by passing into law the bill sent in by NIMASA as it would save the country huge loss of money.
Speaking earlier, Commandant Naval War College, Nigeria, Rear Admiral Adeseye Ayobanjo, advocated inter agency cooperation among security agency and other stakeholders in the maritime sector, stressing that synergy was a pivotal tool in tackling all forms of illegal and illicit activities in Nigeria maritime space.
He explained: “The Naval War College was established for effective operational level in warfare and the Seminar is focused on how best we can implement the HSOP-AD&P which is a document of the Federal government to guide stakeholders on how best to tackle security and sundry issue in the maritime space.
“The aim is to create a platform where all stakeholders including the Police, DSS, NDLEA, Navy and others can discuss the best ways of tackling security challenges by expressing its views on how best to implement the document with the view of making our maritime space safer.”
