By Steve Agbota
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has taken delivery of additional mobile assets for enhanced maritime security under its deep blue project.
Two unmanned aircraft system, nine interceptor patrol boats and ten armoured vehicles have been added to the existing assets earlier procured by the Federal Government and commissioned by President Muhammadu Buhari .
Director General of NIMASA, Dr Bashir Jamoh while thanking President Buhari for his sustained support in the fight against sea piracy and other maritime crimes said the additional equipment will improve on the gains recorded in securing the Gulf of Guinea and Nigerian maritime domain.
Jamoh who described the recently held Gulf of Guinea Maritime Collaboration Forum (GOG-MCF/SHADE) in Abuja as a success in rallying international support in the suppression of maritime insecurity, added that Nigeria’s commitment in regional maritime security will always be sustained.
He recommended the Suppression of Piracy and other Maritime Offences (SPOMO) Act emplaced by Nigeria as a robust statute that supports maritime law enforcement, which other countries are considering to replicate.
The DG said: “Nigeria is improving on her capacity to fight maritime crime by procuring state of the art technology, upgrading human capacity for effective service delivery and deployment of the assets for round the clock patrol, interdiction and reconnaissance with the support of Nigerian Navy and other security agencies we signed MoU with.