Gulf of Guinea Focus: Week 49
- Agwe Global
- 3 hours ago
- 5 min read
The Maritime Security Providers Association of Nigeria (MASPAN) has joined forces with key security agencies to launch a renewed sensitisation campaign across coastal communities surrounding the Apapa and Tin Can Island ports, warning youths against the growing and increasingly deadly trend of stowaway attempts on vessels leaving Nigeria. The outreach, conducted on 26 November 2025, was led by the Comptroller of Immigration Service, Lagos Seaports, Clementina C. Ogudu, and involved personnel of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Nigerian Police Force (NPF) and MASPAN President, Mr. Emmanuel Maiguwa. The joint team visited four communities — Sabonkorji, Itun-Agan, Igbo Elejo and Nati — which are considered high-risk zones for irregular maritime migration due to their proximity to port access channels. The campaign, tagged “Comot Your Eye for Ship Propell,” was designed to correct misconceptions and directly warn residents — especially youths — about the extreme dangers and consequences of attempting to hide on vessels in search of opportunities abroad. Security officials explained that modern ship designs, global safety rules and improved surveillance systems now make stowing away virtually impossible to survive, with many attempts ending in severe injury or death.
For further information please check the link below:
The Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) BEECROFT has handed over four bags of cannabis sativa weighing 172 kg to officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Marine Command. The Commander NNS BEECROFT, Rear Admiral Paul Nimmyel said the consignment was intercepted on 24 November 2025 by the NNS BEECROFT Quick Response Team while acting on credible intelligence. He said the team intercepted a van suspected of transporting illicit substances around ljegun, Waterside axis, which led to the successful seizure of the narcotics. Represented by the Executive Officer, Captain Idongesit Udoessien, Nimmyel noted that the interception is part of a broader series of sustained efforts by the Nigerian Navy under the leadership of Vice Admiral ldi Abbas, Admiralty Medal, to clamp down on illegal activities, particularly the trafficking of narcotics and other contraband through Nigeria’s coastal waters. He reiterated the Nigerian Navy’s commitment to working with other sister agencies to protect Nigerian’s maritime domain and ensure safety of lives and properties.
For further information please check the link below:
The Ghana Navy has received a patrol boat from the Government of the United Kingdom (UK) to boost riverine and maritime security operations. During the handing-over ceremony at the Eastern Naval Command 20 November 2025, the British Defence Attaché (DA) to Ghana, Commander Richard Walters commended the Ghana Navy for its commitment to riverine operations. He described the boat as a reliable workhorse widely used by the Royal Navy given its durability and added that Ghanaian engineers have recently undergone technical training in Senegal to enhance maintenance and operational efficiency of the boat. Commander Walters highlighted Ghana’s ongoing investment in maritime assets and stressed the importance of protecting the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone amid rising maritime threats. He reaffirmed the UK’s continued support, alongside contributions from partners such as Denmark and the United States in hydrographic development and maritime capability enhancement. Representing the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Commodore Stephen Billins Nyam, Deputy Chief Staff Officer (Operations & Training) at Naval Headquarters expressed profound appreciation to the UK Government and gave an assurance that the Ghana Navy would put the vessel to optimal use to enhance operations at sea and along the rivers.
For further information please check the link below:
A new phase of the "SCOPE Africa" project, a regional initiative to strengthen the security of strategic ports in West and Central Africa, started in Lomé. The project was launched at a two-day seminar that opened, led by Togo's High Council for the Sea (HCM). The HCM's chief of staff, Penn Laré, said securing maritime areas is beyond the capacity of any single country and that the project builds on more than a decade of programs that have improved regional cooperation. SCOPE Africa aims to strengthen compliance with international standards, improve risk management, train port stakeholders with a focus on inclusion, and reinforce coordination and response mechanisms. Its launch comes as nearly 90% of trade to the continent moves by sea. Port traffic in the region is growing by an estimated 7% a year, and ports play a key role in moving goods, especially to landlocked countries. That growth also exposes port infrastructure to a range of risks, including industrial accidents, illicit trafficking, environmental pressures and threats linked to regional instability. Funded by the European Union and implemented by Expertise France and Enabel, the project comes amid rising maritime trade and mounting security pressures.
For further information please check the link below:
Despite Nigeria’s $195 million investment in the Deep Blue Project to combat piracy and other maritime illicit activities in the Gulf of Guinea, the Republic of Korea has committed an additional $3 million to support the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) SMART-C Maritime Security and Counter-Piracy project in the region. The late President Muhammadu Buhari launched the Deep Blue Project in 2021 to strengthen maritime security, involving personnel from the Nigerian Armed Forces, Air Force, Army, Navy, Police, Department of State Services and officers of NIMASA. Among the project’s anti-piracy assets designated to patrol the busy shipping lanes, identify potential threats and respond swiftly to piracy are 600 specially trained interdiction troops, 16 armoured coastal patrol vehicles, four drones, two special mission vessels, 17 fast interceptor boats, two special mission aircraft for the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) surveillance and three helicopters for search-and-rescue operations. Despite the positive results recorded, as evidenced by Nigeria’s removal from the global piracy list, the IMO and the Republic of Korea (RoK) have launched the SMART-C Maritime Security and Counter-Piracy Project, designed to strengthen the capacity of Gulf of Guinea coastal States to combat piracy and other maritime illicit activities..
For further information please check the link below:
The Nigerian Navy has launched a renewed push to strengthen its legal capacity amid rising concerns over failed maritime prosecutions, procedural lapses and growing complexities in enforcing law across Nigeria’s waters. The Chief of Administration (Navy), Rear Adm. Jonathan Mamman, made this known at the opening of the Navy’s maiden Legal Training Seminar in Abuja. Mamman said that legal weaknesses had become a critical national security gap, allowing maritime offenders to exploit loopholes and escape justice. He said the three-day seminar, themed “Strategic Enforcement of Maritime and Labour Law for Enhanced Naval Operations and Justice Delivery in Nigeria,” is designed to address systemic shortcomings in the handling of maritime crimes including piracy, illegal oil bunkering, smuggling and unlawful vessel operations. According to him, the dynamic nature of Nigeria’s maritime environment now requires legal officers who can match operational gains with airtight courtroom strategy. “Our challenges in prosecuting maritime-related offences are no longer abstract—they affect operations, morale and national security. “Too many cases collapse due to technicalities and avoidable errors. This must stop.
For further information please check the link below:
Comments