The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has disclosed that some recently arrested pirates who were apprehended by the Nigerian Navy authorities for allegedly breaching Nigeria’s navigational rights will be tried under the Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences (SPOMO) Act signed into law in June last year by President Muhammadu Buhari.
It would be recalled that 10 pirates had on May 10, 2020, attacked and boarded a Chinese vessel, MV HAILUFANG II, off the coast of Côte d’Ivoire and directed it towards Nigerian territorial waters before they were reportedly arrested by the Nigerian Navy, which dispatched a ship to intercept the vessel after it got a distress alert.
The prosecution of the pirates would be the first trial of bandits arrested in international waters under the SPOMO Act. The law made Nigeria the first in West and Central Africa to have distinct anti-piracy legislation under the general applicable principles regulating maritime operations and environment.
At the official handover of the pirates for prosecution, Director-General of the Agency, Dr. Bashir Jamoh restated his agency’s commitment to collaboration among relevant agencies and stakeholders for the overall security of the country’s maritime domain.
“We have just witnessed the handover of pirates. This is as a result of the robust collaboration between NIMASA and the Nigerian Navy. There has been a lot of synergy between NIMASA and the Navy with regard to the Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences Act.
“I also want to seize the opportunity to thank Mr. President for signing the anti-piracy law, which would facilitate sufficient prosecution of these pirates” he said.
Jamoh, who was represented by the Agency’s Head of Legal Services, Mr. Victor Egejuru, assured that with the anti-piracy law, there was ample legal framework to prosecute pirates and other alleged perpetrators of maritime offenses in the country to bring the menace to the barest minimum.
Commander of Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Beecroft, Commodore Ibrahim Shettima, who gave details of the naval operation, said the vessel had 18 crew members comprising Chinese, Ghanaians, and Ivorians.
Shettima said: “On interception of the vessel about 140nm south of Lagos Fairway Buoy, the pirates had refused to comply with the orders of the Navy ship, hence the Nigerian Navy had to conduct an opposed boarding of the vessel. All the ship crew was safely rescued, while the 10 pirates were also arrested.”
He stressed the need for increased regional cooperation and inter-agency information sharing, disclosing that the arrest of the pirates was made possible by a tip-off by the Beninoise Navy. Shettima warned criminal elements to stay away from Nigerian territorial waters and the Gulf of Guinea, saying the Navy has the capability to deal with such threats.
Jamoh has said the current management of NIMASA will focus on three main areas, namely, Maritime Security, Safety, and Shipping Development, in pursuit of a more robust maritime domain for the country.
