Navy Declares War on Sea Robbers

Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba, chief of Naval Staff, has said that waging a war against pirates had become imperative, in view of the enormous challenges their nefarious activities posed to the economic growth.

He said that the Nigerian Navy (NN) has therefore declared war against pirates and oil thieves operating on the nation’s territorial waters.

Ezeoba said in a bid to win the war against pirates and oil thieves, the Navy has commissioned a Chinese firm to build two new Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV) to boost the naval fleet,  and would need seaward defence boats and other mix of platforms, like helicopters and support facilities to carry out its mandate effectively.

The Chief of Naval Staff disclosed that between January and August this year, not fewer than 64 attempts at sea robbery and piracy had been foiled, through coordinated operations with the Nigerian Air force.

Ezeoba noted that piracy, crude oil theft and other illegalities in Nigeria’s maritime environment had been a major source of revenue leakage in the country, which if not nipped in the bud could hamper economic growth.

Enumerating Nigeria’s maritime assets to include 5,779 oil wells; 9,717kilometres of pipelines; 112 flow stations; 16 gas plants and 126 production platforms; with floating storage offloading platforms, including other critical maritime assets and infrastructures.

He urged the Presidency to provide enabling means to run out the pirates.

This comradeship has equally led to the rescue of 2 petroleum products vessels from oil thieves.

He further noted that the first three quarters of the year had witnessed over 968 crude oil tankers successfully lifting 82,122,452 metric tons of crude oil on behalf of the Federal Government without attacks from either sea robbers or the dreaded pirates; even as the Navy managed to arrest some 25 vessels, alleged to be involved in crude oil theft and other illegal activities like oil bunkering, through the joint efforts of the Nigerian Navy (NN) and Joint Task Force (JTF) which had significantly reduced the activities of illegal refineries in Nigeria.

He called on stakeholders from the private sector to support government efforts towards solving the increasing waves of insecurity in the country, pointing out that the Navy recently streamlined the operations of Private Maritime Security Companies (PMSCS) so as to sensitize them on current strategic disposition of the Nigerian Navy.