By Kolawole Ojebisi
The National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has explained why the Federal Government will investigate Gulf of Guinea (GoG) as a likely major route for arms trafficking into Nigeria.
Ribadu gave the explanation at a two-Day Seminar on Climate Change and the Changing Dynamics of Arms Proliferation and Insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea: Nigeria in Perspective, on Tuesday in Abuja.
The seminar was organised by the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), Office of the National Security Adviser in Collaboration with the Global Network for Human Development.
Ribadu was represented by the Director of External Affairs, Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Ibrahim Babani.
Speaking on the significance and qualities of the GoG, Ribadu said it had had abundant natural resources and underground mineral deposits boasting of an estimated 24 billion barrels of crude oil reserves, contributing roughly five million barrels daily to global crude chain.
According to him, the region is made up of 16 countries including Nigeria, spread along its roughly 6,000 kilometres of unbroken coastline.
“It is the maritime gateway between Africa and the rest of the world. However, the lucrative nature of the GoG in terms of natural resources, movement of ships and related economic activities attracts strange bedfellows and men of the underworld with ulterior motives pursuing nefarious activities in the GoG.
“Organised crime syndicates are involved in various devastating crimes, notably; drug trafficking, human trafficking, oil theft, kidnaping & hostage taking of ship crews, piracy, smuggling of contraband goods.
“In this category lies the smuggling of Small Arms and Light Weapons by international crime syndicates. Though there have been reports on the proliferation of SALW through the Maritime Sector, the government is interested in further interrogation of the GoG as a major route for arms trafficking,’’ he said.
The NSA said there was need for additional interrogation of the nexus between climate change, armed violence and the proliferation of arms within the countries of the GoG.
He said that SALWs had long been identified as both a root cause and enabler of insecurity globally.
According to him, the threat posed by their availability in the hands of non-state actors and international crime syndicates have left countries grappling with finding solutions to combatting the challenges.
He said that all 14 reported kidnappings of crew members and 75 per cent of crew members held hostage in 2023 happened in the GoG.
“Additionally, two crew members were injured, reinforcing the GoG’s reputation as treacherous waters for seafarers.
“According to the same report, this maritime threat has evolved from the looting and hijacking of oil cargos to the kidnapping of seafarers, bringing the root cause of the problem sharply into focus,’’ he added.
