One of the UK warships, HMS Trent, arrived in Lagos to help the Nigerian Navy eliminate illegal activities, including piracy and illicit trafficking.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that the Royal Navy warship visit to the country is its second.
It journeyed from Gibraltar, carrying an expert boarding team of UK Royal Marines and a Puma surveillance drone.
Its mission is to support West African allies, helping countries to develop the capability to fight crimes at sea and ensure they can play an effective role in bringing stability to wider West Africa.
HMS Trent’s Commanding Officer, Commander Tim Langford, said: “It is an honour for HMS Trent to return to Nigeria, an important visit on the ship’s three month deployment to West Africa.
”We are excited to work with our partner nations as we strive for a long-term solution to maritime insecurity across the region.
“The Royal Navy has a long history of engagement within the region and an enduring partnership with the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
”My team is really looking forward to the opportunity to work with their Nigerian counterparts and build on the relationships established when we visited Lagos in 2021.”
In his remarks, UK Deputy High Commissioner in Lagos, Jonny Baxter, said: “This deployment demonstrates how a truly global Britain is stepping up on the world stage to tackle shared international security challenges.
“Nigeria is an important and valued defence partner for the UK in West Africa. Our two countries face many shared threats and we are keen to work with Nigeria to defeat these and to help improve maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea.”
There is about £6 billion of UK trade passing through the West African region. Part of Trent’s task is supporting stability across the Gulf of Guinea through training, fostering ties, sharing knowledge, and conducting patrols to increase security.
