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How pirate attacks in Gulf of Guinea threaten region’s security

Pirates attack in Gulf of Guinea

There is a lot of activity in the Gulf of Guinea in terms of counter-piracy efforts, as well as trade and attempts to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

These factors are about recovery while having to deal with urgent security problems, in this critical area of the African continent.

The maritime security environment in the Gulf of Guinea needs to coalesce around maritime cooperation in terms of logistics and the prevention of threats.

Key ports — including Abidjan and Sassandra in Ivory Coast, the Ports in Nigeria, Kome Kribi 1 Marine Terminal and the Port of Kribi in Cameroon, and Puerto Macias in Equatorial Guinea — are the outlet for hundreds of millions of people along this Atlantic arc of West Africa.

The protection of the Gulf of Guinea and its sea-based economies needs to go beyond current efforts.

The full participation of all states and corporate interests is mandatory for protecting the littoral states, where key ports are operating for the survival of these countries, as well as the landlocked nations behind them.

The piracy problem in the Gulf of Guinea has developed into a curse for seafarers over the past decade.

In 2021, the threat that looms for all seafarers operating in the region is being kidnapped at gunpoint for ransom.
While the overall numbers of pirate attacks are largely unchanged, the violence, scope and sophistication of the attacks on shipping have continued to increase.
Today, they take place across an area that expands more than 200 nautical miles from the pirate bases that are principally located within the Niger Delta.

There are many good reasons to place direct attention on maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea.

One is that the human toll is high both for those directly affected by attacks — through kidnapping, psychological trauma or death — and those indirectly affected by periods of stress because of the constant threat.

BIMCO, the blue-ribbon organization that serves as a major contributor for contending with maritime issues, is pursuing a universal declaration to stop these seaborne acts.

 For BIMCO and the 100-plus country and corporate signatories, these pirate attacks are preventable and are occurring in a small geographical area.
In fact, this maritime threat area is less than one-fifth the size of the area affected by Somali piracy in 2010.
For the signatories, an active naval force with very few assets conducting effective law enforcement could deter and suppress piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.
This type of language is important as to how such a naval mission can be accomplished by local navies or navies from other stronger powers who frequent these waters.
Russia, China and Turkey all have such interests, but capacity is another issue.
The key stakeholders in the region, including individual consumers, governments and businesses, are paying increased costs for shipments due to the increased cost of security for visiting merchant ships, on top of the pandemic-related local health requirements.
Here, the overlap of social discontent, piracy and lack of supplies because of shipping interruptions is a toxic brew for dissent.
 This means that Gulf of Guinea governments are prone to the same threat of coup d’etat attempts as seen in three other African countries in the past year, especially those in Mali and Guinea.

Problems abound with the current on-the-ground security situation in terms of halting the piracy phenomena.

Research shows that the continued reliance on locally sourced commercial protection services, which are under the control of the local governments, undermines incentives to carry out effective law enforcement and therefore is not a model that will repress the actions of the pirates in the region.
 This local legal failure shows how deep the problems with governance are in these coastal cities.
Consequently, the poor security situation obstructs economic growth because it prevents investment in the Gulf of Guinea’s ocean-based economy.

Shipping in the Gulf of Guinea is an interesting and challenging business during the pandemic.

When faced with an ongoing piracy threat — and the piracy issue in the region is not new — there is a requirement to adhere to international treaties, as well as mandates from the UN and the World Health Organization on COVID-19 programs across these states.
No doubt that the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea is an important part of preparing a capable response to help regional anti-piracy law enforcement operations.
Sometimes these security efforts do not work out, so stronger measures are necessary.
It is very important for stakeholders’ desire to improve domain awareness via radars on offshore platforms and the sharing of relevant information between anti-piracy law enforcement forces and agencies.
Most importantly, and probably the most effective action, is providing prison facilities for arrested pirates (ideally in the region) and encouraging coastal states to actively prosecute.
The lack of rule of law in the Gulf of Guinea is a big part of the current problem, which is damaging to human security.

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Analyses

The invisible toll gates:Why National Single Window is Nigeria’s ultimate economic battleground

Monday Discourse with  Ibrahim Nasiru
Walk into any market in Nigeria today, from the commercial hubs of Lagos to the roadside stalls in Yola, and ask why a bag of rice or an imported spare part costs three times what it did last year.
The typical public commentator will blame global inflation, floating currencies, or macro-economic shocks.
But those who understand logistics know the real truth lies buried under layers of paper, manual stamps, and artificial delays at our seaports.
Nigeria’s international trade is suffocating not from a lack of deep water, but from a deliberate design of convenience.
The recent operational rollout of the National Single Window (NSW) has triggered behind-the-scenes panic among Port cartels, and for good reason.
For decades, keeping our clearing processes fragmented, manual, and dependent on desk-to-desk human interaction was the perfect business model for syndicates.
When cargo dwell times drag on for 21 days, those delays are money in the pockets of the gatekeepers and a death sentence for local businesses.
Let us look at the raw field realities. The push by the Nigeria Customs Service to aggressively crash clearance times down to global 48-hour standards is meeting fierce internal resistance.
Why? Because a unified digital ecosystem means you cannot easily manipulate documentation, hide illicit cargo, or demand “mobilization fees” before signing off a container.
The outcry and protests from certain freight-forwarding syndicates aren’t about technical glitches; they are about the sudden closure of invisible toll gates.
This is exactly why governance at our national gateways can no longer be left to the mercy of transactional bureaucratic habits.
Building deep-sea infrastructure like Lekki Port is a massive physical achievement, but concrete and cranes are useless if the administrative processes at the gate remain backward.
 Real structural reform requires turning our Ports into automated, friction-free pipelines that prioritize production over rent-seeking.
If Nigeria wants to survive this fiscal squeeze, the National Single Window cannot just be treated as another glossy IT project launched in Abuja.
 It requires unyielding administrative enforcement to completely dismantle the corrupt cartels managing the manual desk chains.
The invisible toll gates at our Ports must be completely demolished, and that exact same structural discipline must be scaled across our border stations and trade corridors.
The era of managing international trade with 20th-century paper trails is dying. The future belongs to the builders of automated, transparent systems.
Chief Ibrahim Nasiru, a public affairs analyst,  writes from Abuja 
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Headlines

NANTA Exco embarks on seven-day Ghana retreat, fam trip to deepen regional tourism partnership

Gloria Odion, Reporter

The National Executive Council (NEC) of the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) has commenced a seven-day executive retreat and familiarisation (fam) trip to Ghana, hosted by Safari World, as part of efforts to strengthen regional tourism partnerships and expand cross-border travel opportunities.

The NANTA delegation was received at Safari World Homes in Accra by the Chairman of the Safari World Group, Mr. Ernest Gyekye, who expressed delight at hosting the Nigerian travel trade leaders.

He assured the delegation of a memorable experience throughout their week-long stay.

Speaking on the significance of the visit, NANTA President, Mr. Yinka Folami, described the retreat and familiarisation tour as a strategic initiative aimed at fostering stronger business relationships and promoting collaborative tourism development across Africa.

“This mission is not a leisure trip,” Folami said. “It is a deliberate step to implement and expand our association’s marketing advocacy for Nigerian brands across borders.”

He noted that Nigeria and Ghana share deep historical, cultural and commercial ties that should be leveraged to drive tourism growth on the continent.

“Nigeria and Ghana share history, culture, trade and people. The future of our tourism cannot be built in silos,” he said.

“This retreat is about moving from policy to practice—creating real products, real partnerships and real movement of travellers between Accra and Lagos.”

As part of the programme, the NANTA executives will engage in strategic business-to-business (B2B) meetings with their Ghanaian counterparts, tour key tourism destinations under the Safari World brand, and participate in cultural exchange activities designed to promote stronger bilateral tourism cooperation.

The itinerary spans Safari World’s three flagship destinations, including Safari Homes in Accra, the Aqua Safari riverfront experience, Safari Island Cruise, Safari Nautica, and Safari Recreation and Sports facilities in Ada, as well as the Safari Valley Eco Resort and Safari Eco Park in Dawu.

Operating under the brand promise, “One World, Three Destinations, Over 20 Unique Experiences,” Safari World is leveraging the visit to strengthen its footprint in the Nigerian travel market while positioning Ghana as a premier destination for leisure tourism, conferences, group travel, family holidays and premium tourism experiences.

A major highlight of the visit will be the Executive Dinner scheduled for July 21 at the Safari Valley Eco Resort, where key stakeholders from Nigeria and Ghana’s tourism industries will deliberate on strategies for deepening travel trade and advancing regional tourism development.

The familiarisation tour is expected to provide NANTA’s leadership with first-hand knowledge of Safari World’s tourism offerings, paving the way for the development of attractive travel packages and stronger business partnerships that will benefit Nigerian travellers and the wider West African tourism industry.

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Customs

Ogun Customs spurns claims of Smugglers’ takeover of Idiroko–Sango Ota trading Route

Funso OLOJO, Editor

The Ogun I Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has dismissed as false reports alleging that smugglers had taken over the Idiroko–Sango Ota trading route in Ogun State, describing the claims as a deliberate misrepresentation of a traffic incident.
In a statement issued by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Superintendent of Customs (SC) Chado, the Command clarified that the traffic gridlock on the route resulted from the breakdown of an articulated commercial trailer after it fell into a badly deteriorated section of Atan Road, temporarily obstructing the free flow of traffic.
According to the Command, the vehicles caught in the ensuing congestion were legitimate commercial trucks transporting red palm oil to various local markets and had no connection whatsoever with smuggling activities.
It explained that the large number of heavy-duty trucks trapped in the gridlock may have led some members of the public to wrongly conclude that smugglers had taken over the road.
“The reports that smugglers blocked the road are inaccurate. The disruption resulted from a road accident and poor road conditions. The vehicles involved were lawful commercial vehicles transporting red palm oil for legitimate trade,” Chado stated.
The Command urged journalists, social media users and the general public to verify information before disseminating reports capable of creating unnecessary panic or undermining public confidence in security agencies.
Observers within the border trade sector noted that the allegation does not reflect the prevailing security situation within the Ogun I Area Command, where anti-smuggling operations have been intensified under the leadership of the Acting Customs Area Controller, Comptroller O.O. Afeni.
Since assuming office, Comptroller Afeni has strengthened intelligence-driven surveillance, enhanced collaboration with other security agencies and host communities, and sustained pressure on economic saboteurs operating along the Ogun border corridors.
These measures, according to stakeholders, have resulted in significant seizures of prohibited goods and reinforced the Command’s resolve to safeguard Nigeria’s economy and territorial integrity.
Maritime and border trade stakeholders also cautioned against the spread of unverified information capable of undermining the efforts of security personnel or creating a false impression of lawlessness in border communities.
They stressed that while combating smuggling remains an ongoing responsibility, responsible and accurate reporting is equally critical to ensuring that operational achievements are not overshadowed by misinformation.
The Ogun I Area Command reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining its anti-smuggling campaign while facilitating legitimate cross-border trade in line with the statutory mandate of the Nigeria Customs Service.

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