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Nigeria investigates Gulf of Guinea as major arms trafficking route – NSA

Published

6 months ago

October 23, 2024

National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu

Nigeria investigates Gulf of Guinea as major arms trafficking route – NSA

The National Security Adviser, NSA, Nuhu Ribadu, says the Federal Government is investigating Gulf of Guinea, GoG, as a major route for arms trafficking into Nigeria.

Mr Ribadu made this known 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.

Mr Ribadu was represented by the Director of External Affairs, Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Ibrahim Babani.

He said the GoG 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 constitutes 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.

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“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.

The Director-General of NCCSALW, retired DIG Johnson Kokumo, said that the impact of climate change had become a significant contributor to displacement and instability in various regions, particularly the Gulf of Guinea.

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Mr Kokumo said it was also a significant driver of instability and conflict in vulnerable regions across the world with criminal networks exploiting the situation.

According to him, this instability has in turn fuelled the demand for arms, contributing to the rise in the proliferation of small arms and light weapons

He said the 2-Day seminar would provide an invaluable opportunity to examine the complex linkages.

“We must reflect on how the changing climate exacerbates insecurity, weakens governance and allows the illegal arms trade to thrive.

“Furthermore, we need to explore how we can respond to these emerging threats more effectively by fostering stronger national and regional frameworks for arms control, environmental resilience and conflict mitigation.

“I assure you of the Centres commitment and resolve to ensure the menace of SALW is curbed,’’ he said.

The guest lecturer, Dr Dickson Orji, who is the President of GOLHD Centre, said that bulk of illicit armed in Nigeria were moved through the maritime domain.

Mr Orji urged the government to pay more attention to the maritime arena in the fight against the proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons in the country.

He added that the larger percentage of goods coming into the country were through the maritime, adding that more attention be given to the sector to ensure that all ships were properly inspected and certified.

He recommended continuous advocacy and stakeholder engagements, empowerment of the relevant agencies responsible for maritime security and building synergy between the security agencies in the sector.
NAN

Nigeria investigates Gulf of Guinea as major arms trafficking route – NSA

Related Topics:arms trafficking Featured Gulf of Guinea

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FG secures release of 6 women arrested for human trafficking in Cape Verde

Published

4 hours ago

April 17, 2025

Trends Admin

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar

FG secures release of 6 women arrested for human trafficking in Cape Verde

The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) has successfully secured the release of six Nigerian women who were wrongfully detained in Cape Verde over baseless trafficking accusations.

Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, the spokesperson of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, revealed via a statement on Wednesday, April 16 that the Nigerian Mission in Guinea Bissau worked closely with the Cape Verdean authorities to ensure the women’s release.

She noted that the women had travelled to Cape Verde for vacation but were unfortunately arrested on unfounded human trafficking charges, which were eventually proven to be false.

Ebienfa mentioned that the minister expressed his satisfaction with the successful resolution of the matter and reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding the rights and well-being of Nigerians abroad.

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The statement read, “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to happily inform you that the Nigerian ladies who were detained in Cape Verde have all been released and have left the country, too.

“The Ministry engaged Cape Verde authorities via our Mission in Guinea Bissau to secure their release.

“The six ladies travelled to Cape Verde for a holiday and were unfortunately detained on allegations of trafficking, which turned out to be false.”

FG secures release of 6 women arrested for human trafficking in Cape Verde

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Bayelsa lawmaker, Wike’s ally exchange blows amid tension over scheduled event [VIDEO]

Published

4 hours ago

April 17, 2025

Trends Admin

Bayelsa lawmaker, Wike’s ally exchange blows amid tension over scheduled event [VIDEO]

A lawmaker in the Bayelsa State House of Assembly and an ally of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike were captured engaging in a fight.

In a video circulating on social media, the Chief Whip of the Assembly, Hon. Gabriel Ogbara, was seen engaging in a heated struggle with the Ogbia Ward 8 Coordinator of the pro-Wike political group, the NEW Associates.

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The footage was posted by George Turnah, a known supporter of Wike and a former legal adviser to the PDP in the South-South zone.

Turnah, who was recently suspended by the Bayelsa PDP, has been at loggerheads with Governor Douye Diri over plans to organize a rally in Yenagoa in support of Wike. The event is scheduled for Saturday, April 26, 2025.

Despite both Diri and Wike belonging to the PDP, the two powerbrokers have been locked in a quiet political rivalry, particularly over control of the party’s structure in the South-South. Governor Diri currently chairs the South-South Governors’ Forum.

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Bayelsa lawmaker, Wike’s ally exchange blows amid tension over scheduled event [VIDEO]

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How Obasanjo, Jonathan, Buhari paid lip service to power sector – Minister

Published

4 hours ago

April 17, 2025

Trends Admin

Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu

How Obasanjo, Jonathan, Buhari paid lip service to power sector – Minister

Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has blamed previous Nigerian presidents and leaders for the lingering crisis in the country’s power sector.

Speaking while receiving a World Bank delegation in his Abuja office, Adelabu said successive administrations failed to take decisive action, leading to the degeneration currently plaguing power generation, transmission, and distribution.

He, however, expressed optimism under the current administration, noting that President Bola Tinubu has shown genuine concern and given total support toward reforms aimed at revamping the power sector.

“We actually have a past that we are not proud of. Over the years, we have only been paying lip service to transforming the power sector but have not worked the talk.

“Previous administrations have kept on doing the same thing all the time and you cannot get different results for that, which is why we have decided to do things differently this time. In all the segments across the sector, we must run away from the past,” Adelabu said in the statement by Bolaji Tunji, his special adviser on strategic communications and media relations.

He said the neglect of critical power infrastructure over the years, “including thousands of kilometres of transmission lines and hundreds of thousands of transformers”, has deepened the challenges in the sector.

“How will you explain the kind of infrastructure that we put together for our transmission network across the country? Thousands of kilometers of power line, thousands of power transformers, hundreds of thousands of distribution transformers that we have not maintained over time and expect them to keep sustaining our energy supply. It is not possible,” Adelabu said.

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“How do we allow our people to be vandalising infrastructure and expect stable electricity? So how do you have a sector with over 12 million customers and our meter is not more than six million and we expect to have a stable industry? No, it’s not possible. So what has happened with past governments?

“In 1984, when the military was in power here, we achieved a 2000 megawatts. Between 1984 and 2023, it took us 40 years to add additional 2000 megawatts. Now we have an average of 5,800 megawatts generation within one and a half years that we came to the office.

“What I’m saying is that, if the past administrations have been adding things like this, we will not be where we are today. And that is why I said that President Tinubu is actually laying the kind of foundation that we need for our country to grow”, he added.

He blamed the Muhammadu Buhari administration for stalling on the Siemens power deal signed in 2019.

“We entered into the Siemens contract in 2019. We never lifted a finger until 2023, when this government came on board. So you can now imagine since this President came in and now look at the mileage we have achieved,” he said.

The minister, however, noted that the pilot phase of the Siemens power project is nearly complete in under two years, expressing confidence in a brighter future for the power sector.

The minister implored the World Bank team to continue to support the Tinubu’s administration to ensure that the investment of the current administration succeeds.

“One thing that this administration has brought to the table is the seriousness, the determination, the commitment to make sure that the power sector is transformed.

“There is very little you can achieve in your agriculture sector, in your transportation sector, in your defense, education, or health; without stable and efficient electricity supply.

“That is why the President is really focusing on this, and he is supporting whatever we need to do to make sure that we transform this sector. He is ready to give us that support”, he noted.