Gulf of Guinea Focus: Week 51
- Agwe Global
- 5 hours ago
- 4 min read
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:
Nine seafarers have been kidnapped in a pirate attack on LPG carrier CGAS Saturn off the coast of Equatorial Guinea. Maritime security company Vanguard said the Portugal-flagged CGAS Saturn was attacked in the Gulf of Guinea, approximately 50nm west of Mbini, Equatorial Guinea. At least nine crew were kidnapped and four left onboard, said Vanguard, and one crew member was injured. Those left onboard were the second captain, third captain, deck officer, and oiler, it claimed. An earlier initial report from Vanguard said at least 12 crew were kidnapped and one left onboard. CGAS Saturn is owned and operated by Christiania Gas, the LPG shipping arm of Eitzen Group’s Christiania Shipping. Christiania Shipping issued a statement confirming the attack, the kidnapping of nine crew, and light injuries sustained by one of the four seafarers remaining onboard the ship. CGAS Saturn has proceeded to safe waters, it added.
For further information please check the link below:
Navy Launches Annual Sea Exercise “Eru Obodo 2025” to Boost Maritime Security. The Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Idi Abbas (Admiralty Medal), on the, 8 December 2025, flagged off the Nigerian Navy’s Annual Sea Exercise, codenamed Exercise Eru Obodo 2025, aboard the Nigerian Navy Ship KADA in Apapa, Lagos. The exercise, whose title “Eru Obodo” translates from Yoruba as “Guardian or Fear of Our National Waters,” is symbolic of the Navy’s resolve to instil fear in criminals attempting to operate within Nigerian maritime corridors. Exercise Eru Obodo 2025 features the deployment of 16 Nigerian Navy ships, three helicopters, and the full array of the Navy’s Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) assets, alongside specially assigned personnel. The assets will patrol areas extending beyond Lagos waters and across the wider Gulf of Guinea. According to the Navy, the drill aims to assess operational readiness and demonstrate Nigeria’s capability to secure the maritime environment within the West African sub-region.
For further information please check the link below:
Deputy defence minister Bello Matawalle has assured the Nigerian Navy of the federal government’s continued support to strengthen the blue economy and promote national development. Mr Matawalle said this as the special guest at the Nigerian Navy Ceremonial Sunset and Award Night 2025, which was held at the Naval Dockyard, Victoria Island, Lagos State. He said that the navy had continued to use modern technology and enhanced operations to tackle threats on the sea, thereby making Nigerian waters and the Gulf of Guinea safer. Tonight, we gather to appreciate the hard work of the Nigerian Navy throughout the year as a service responsible for protecting our maritime resources. “The navy plays a major role in supporting Nigeria’s economy, and the federal government will continue to give support and funding needed to strengthen the blue economy and promote national development,” he said.
For further information please check the link below:
Nations came together in November to participate in Grand African Nemo 2025, an annual exercise aimed at honing the maritime security skills of coastal West African navies. The weeklong event aimed to strengthen navies’ ability to cooperate in response to Gulf of Guinea sea crimes, including illegal fishing, piracy, and human and drug trafficking. It launched November 10 in Accra, Ghana. The exercise, led by the French Navy, integrated national maritime operations centers, multinational maritime coordination centers (MMCCs) and regional information hubs in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire; and Pointe-Noire, Republic of the Congo. It focused on strengthening regional coordination, collaboration and interoperability. More than 55 naval and coast guard assets and 11 aircraft deployed for the exercise. They conducted simultaneous drills across multiple maritime zones. Commodore Stephen Billince Anyam, deputy chief staff officer for operations and training at Ghana Navy Headquarters, Burma Camp, said the exercise is critical in maintaining regional maritime safety.
For further information please check the link below:
The Nigerian Navy has rounded off its 2025 operational year with a Ceremonial Sunset Dinner and Awards, celebrating a year of significant achievements in maritime security and national development. Speaking as Special Guest of Honour, the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Mohammed Matawalle, commended the Navy for its effective deployment of modern technology to combat maritime threats and enhance security across Nigeria’s waterways and the Gulf of Guinea. He noted that the Navy’s sustained efforts have drastically reduced maritime illegalities, creating safer waters that support economic growth. The Chief of Naval Staff, Idi Abbas, explained that the Ceremonial Sunset is a long-standing naval tradition marking the close of activities within a specific period. He described 2025 as a year of notable progress and operational successes, particularly in maritime security, anti-smuggling operations, crude oil theft suppression, and the fight against human trafficking.
For further information please check the link below:
Comments