Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea and Nigerian waters has decreased dramatically after President Muhammadu Buhari deployed the Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure, according to the latest report by the International Maritime Bureau or IMB.
The report stated that pirate and armed robbery incidents in Nigerian seas decreased by 77 per cent in the first nine months of 2021 compared to last year.
According to the bureau’s data, just 28 crimes were reported in the Gulf of Guinea, compared to 46 the previous year. It also stated that just one crew member was abducted in the third quarter of 2021, compared to 31 in five different occurrences in the same quarter of 2020.
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) director-general, Dr Bashir Jamoh, also claimed that the current decline in piracy in the gulf was due to President Buhari’s Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure, also known as the Deep Blue Project.
Dr Jamoh said that the agency had taken steps to maintain the existing level of security in the country’s seas.
“We are delighted by this latest news from the IMB and the trend of progressive reduction in piracy and related incidents on our waters.
“But we cannot afford to be complacent about our commitment to the security of our maritime domain,” he said.
