A Nigerian Navy boarding team climbs on board a ship during a hijacking scenario. The Nigerian Navy combats piracy primarily through deterrence and prevention.
For several decades, the West African subregion, particularly the Nigerian maritime domain, has been a high-risk area for shipping because of incidences of piracy and sea robbery, as reported by the International Maritime Bureau (IMB). Nigerian pirates are violent, targeting oil service boats and terminals, oil tankers, cargo ships, fishing trawlers, ships at anchorage, and passenger boats both in territorial waters and at high sea. The Nigerian Navy is responsible for policing the nation’s territorial waters and curtailing the menace of piracy. The Nigerian government must properly equip agencies charged with maritime security, as well as tackle the socioeconomic conditions that encourage individuals to engage in piracy as a source of livelihood.
Nigeria depends on the sea for its survival. Oil and gas from its maritime area account for more than 90 percent of the government’s foreign exchange earnings. Non-oil resources such as fish, shrimp, and crabs are sources of protein and provide other economic benefits to citizens. The sea also serves as the medium through which most of the nation’s foreign trade passes. The country’s image, security, and economy, however, have been adversely affected by piracy as the IMB has rated Nigerian waters the second most dangerous in Africa. Several lives and properties, as well as millions of dollars, are lost annually to piracy and sea robbery. The maritime area and its resources must be adequately protected.
There are myriad reasons piracy persists in the Nigerian maritime domain. Lack of strong legislation to deal with the crime, conflicts and social disorder, corruption, proliferation of small arms and light weapons, and the presence of numerous ungoverned spaces along the Nigerian coastline make policing piracy difficult. The presence of illegal markets at sea for selling the petroleum products, fish, and other stolen valuables creates additional challenges. Other issues that must be addressed include human security imperatives such as abject poverty, lack of basic social facilities, a high illiteracy rate, and the high rate of unemployment.
The Nigerian Navy is tasked with protecting the maritime environment, but it is challenged by limited funding, an inadequate number and mix of platforms, and an insufficient maintenance infrastructure, as well as a lack of full maritime domain awareness. To offset some of these challenges, the Navy collaborates with stakeholders in the policing of international and coastal waters, including the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Air Force, the Marine Police, the Nigerian Maritime and Safety Administration, the Civil Defence, and private maritime security companies. Despite these collaborations, the nation still has suffered economic losses in the maritime domain as a result of insecurity occasioned by piracy. This underscores the need for the Nigerian government to assess the prevailing challenges undermining the operational efficiency of relevant security agencies with a view to addressing them.
Currently, the Nigerian Navy and its collaborators combat piracy through prevention and deterrence. The Nigerian government must implement a more holistic approach, to include human security initiatives such as the provision of jobs, eradication of poverty and illiteracy, conservation of the environment, provision of basic infrastructure, and prevention of corruption.
Commodore Pani serves in the Nigerian Navy.