Gulf of Guinea Focus: Week 21
- Agwe Global
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
Tension has gripped Bille Kingdom in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State as 10 schoolchildren and three other passengers remain missing after a brutal sea piracy attack that occurred on May 6, 2025. The victims, mostly students en route to write their West African Examination Council, WAEC, exams in Port Harcourt, were abducted when armed pirates intercepted their speedboat and diverted it into the creeks. Outraged by the recurring attacks and the security agencies’ perceived inaction, scores of women from Bille Kingdom stormed the Rivers State Government House in Port Harcourt, demanding swift and decisive action from the state’s Sole Administrator, Retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas. The protesters, dressed in black, carried banners and chanted solidarity songs as they called on the government to address the growing insecurity along the waterways that has left riverine communities vulnerable and economically crippled.
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The ORBANGAME Express 2025 will focus on curbing small arms trafficking and enhancing maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG), says the Nigerian Navy. Flag Officer Commanding Western Naval Command, Rear Adm. Micheal Oamen, representing the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Adm. Emmanuel Ogalla, launched the exercise aboard Nigerian Navy Ship KADA. Oamen stated that the exercise, taking place from May 9 to 13, would feature anti-smuggling and narcotics operations as key components of maritime security efforts. “The Nigerian Navy will deploy six ships, two helicopters, maritime domain awareness assets and elements of the Special Boat Service (SBS) for this sea exercise,” he said. He added that the exercise would unite partners from the GoG, the Americas, and Europe to evaluate Nigeria’s capacity for joint maritime security operations. “Over time, this exercise has greatly improved Nigeria’s maritime security architecture and contributed meaningfully to regional stability,” he said.
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In a bid to enhance professionalism and mission readiness among its personnel, the Eastern Naval Command of the Nigerian Navy has conducted a three-day small arms firing exercise. The exercise, held from May 14 to 16, 2025, at the headquarters of the Eastern Naval Command in Calabar, was aimed at improving marksmanship, weapon handling, safety protocols, and combat preparedness. The event commenced with an inaugural shot fired by Rear Admiral Danjuma Mohammed Ndanusa, who represented the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Rear Admiral Saheed Adeshina Akinwande. All units under the Eastern Naval Command in the Calabar area, as well as the Naval War College of Nigeria, actively participated in the exercise. Designed to respond to evolving security challenges, the drills emphasized both individual skills and collective operational effectiveness. Participants engaged in full-scale live-fire drills using various small arms, firing at targets set at 200m, 100m, and 50m ranges. Personnel were divided into 10-man syndicates to ensure focused supervision, hands-on instruction, and effective performance assessment.
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In commemoration of its 69th anniversary, the Nigerian Navy is set to commission three new patrol vessels and three newly acquired helicopters. Chief of Policy and Plans at Naval Headquarters, Rear Admiral Ibrahim Abdullahi Dewu, made the disclosure at a press briefing in Abuja to commence the Navy week scheduled to run from May 23 to June 1, 2025. He stated that the new acquisitions underscore the Navy’s unwavering commitment to maritime security and its constitutional roles. The three new patrol vessels, identified as NNS SHERE, NNS FARO, and NNS IKOGOSI, are approximately 38 meters long with an endurance of five days. Two of these vessels were acquired from Singapore, and one from South Korea, all having arrived in Nigeria in December 2024. According to Rear Admiral Dewu, these vessels will serve as Seaward Defence boats within Nigeria’s littorals and contiguous zones, extending their reach in hot pursuit when necessary, thereby significantly improving the Navy’s presence at sea.
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The Western Marine Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has sought the collaboration of the Western Naval Command to stop smuggling of arms through waterways. The new Customs Area Controller, Western Marine Command, Comptroller Patrick Ntadi, made the disclosure when his team visited the Headquarters of the Western Naval Command, Apapa in Lagos. Ntadi said due to increased security on the land borders, that smugglers had diverted their operations through waterways whereby they smuggle arms and ammunition around the creek areas. “It is important for Customs to seek collaboration with Navy being our superior and also to ask Navy to train our officers on how to navigate and protect our waterways from smuggling of unwanted substances. “There is no way we can do the job without interface, that is why we seek your assistance in training our officers to make our job much easier. “Incidentally our jobs happen to be in the waters, when I was appointed as the Controller Western Marine Command, I said that the first thing I have to do is to see how Customs and Navy will synergies to gain from your experience. “Sir, I have come to know you and also to tell you that, please I will always call your lines for assistance, especially training of our officers. “Our officers need to understand the weather, know how to navigate and know when to set their bowls on sail,” he said
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The Niger-Kwara Area Office of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has embarked on a sensitisation campaign to Gbajibo Mokwa in Niger and Gbajibo Mundi in Kwara on safety protocols within inland waterways. Mr Akapo Adeboye, Area Manager, Niger-Kwara Area Office of NIWA, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in MinnaHe said the sensiststaion campaign was to promote safety protocols within the navigable inland waterways channels of Jebba Lake Basin and its tributaries. Adeboye said the campaign, tagged: “No Life Jacket, No Travel” and “No Night Travelling,” was Atonreduce the risk of accidents and ensure the safety of lives and property within the waterways. Adeboye said the agency had also distributed life jackets to waterways users in Gbajibo Mundi in Mokwa Local Government of Niger. According to him, the agency has also repaired the Water Ambulance boat, which was previously grounded.
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