NIMASA Partners INTERPOL to Tackle Maritime Crimes

Wed, Sep 27, 2017 | By publisher


Business

 

DAKUKU Peterside, the director general of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, has disclosed that proper legal frame work, synergy and information sharing amongst government agencies and stakeholders would help curb the issues of criminalities in the nation’s territorial waterways and the Gulf of Guinea.

Peterside who stated this during the first specialised meeting on maritime piracy organised by the INTERPOL Regional Bureau of West Africa in Lagos, called on stakeholders to work harmoniously and not at cross purposes in order to find a lasting solution to the menace of piracy activities in the region.

Speaking further, he said that there was the need for crimes to be successfully prosecuted, adding that a process of successful prosecution of perpetrators of crimes committed at sea has commenced in order to deter others.

“We have at no point prosecuted crimes on our waterways and the security agencies must initiate it. Every other person may give us assistance, but we have a role to play in ensuring that our waterways are safe and secured for maritime businesses to thrive. Therefore, this meeting should not just be a mere talk show because doing things in same way cannot produce results,” the DG said.

Accordingly, the NIMASA DG commended the Interpol for the initiative, noting that it would engender synergy amongst government agencies. He also assured that the NIMASA would always support any initiative that would foster the growth and development of the maritime sector.

Also speaking, Sunday Okoebor, the regional specialised officer for maritime piracy and the convener of the meeting, bemoaned the spate of criminal activities in the Gulf of Guinea and blamed it on lack of synergy amongst the security agencies, which has made it impossible to have a successful prosecution.

However, he stated that capacity development of the law enforcement officers of the various countries that belonged to the region was vital to tackling all forms of illegalities and criminalities.

While also calling on all security agencies to collaborate more, he noted that for the Interpol to function appropriately, there must be a fusion centre where all necessary bodies were present there, so that everyone would work collaboratively in order to bridge the gap of bureaucracy, thereby giving way for proper prosecution.

PICTURE 2 - NIMASA INTERPOL
Peterside (Middle) in a photograph with participants at the 1st specialised meeting on maritime piracy organised by the Interpol Regional Bureau For West Africa, held at Eko Hotel, Lagos.

On his part, Omotayo Oni, an assistant director, from the Ministry of Justice, reiterated that synergy amongst security agencies and capacity development was key to making the nation’s maritime domain safe and secured for any development to take place.

He assured that the Ministry of Justice was working hard to ensure that the bill on piracy and maritime crimes sponsored by the NIMASA would sail through and stand as a legal framework for prosecution of maritime crimes.

Also at the meeting were representatives from the Nigerian Navy and the Nigerian Police who equally pledged their support towards the growth and development of the maritime sector in the region.

It may be recalled that a bill on piracy and maritime crime has been put forward by the NIMASA, which is intended to give the agency the momentum required to deal decisively with all forms of criminalities on the nation’s territorial waterways.

Sept. 27, 2017 @ 14:18 GMT /

 

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