The commitment was made by NIMASA Director-General Bashir Jamoh during a seminar on regional marine collaboration in the Gulf of Guinea in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.

According to Jamoh, coordination across west African countries is critical in maintaining piracy’s decline since each country’s limits and constraints must be recognised to avoid confrontation. He stated that Nigeria, through NIMASA and the Nigerian navy, remains ready to continue to give all required assistance in the fight against piracy in partnership with regional and international partners.

He said, “No one can easily forget the frequent reports of attacks on ships and the kidnapping of seafarers in the Gulf of Guinea in 2019 and 2020 when they reached their peak.”

The assaults, he said, had a detrimental economic impact on the region’s seaborne economy.

He stated that improved cooperation among countries around the Gulf of Guinea, as well as support from international partners, have contributed to a decrease in piracy activities in the Gulf of Guinea since 2021, urging that the current momentum be maintained and concrete solutions offered to ensure the fight against piracy is sustainable.

The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) reported 34 cases of maritime piracy and armed robbery in the Gulf of Guinea in 2021, down from 81 in 2020, in its annual piracy report issued in January 2022. Piracy incidences have decreased as a result of enhanced international naval presence and regional collaboration, according to the report.

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