The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo, has said the Nigerian Navy has concluded collaborative efforts with the Ghanaian Navy to further combat piracy and maritime crime in the Gulf of Guinea.



Gambo also said plans are ongoing for the establishment of a standing multinational task force in the Gulf of Guinea.

Vice Admiral Gambo stated this during the Passing Out Parade/Commissioning of Direct Short Service Commission 28 and Special Duty Pre-Commission Training 21 cadets of batch 31 trainees at the Nigerian Naval College, Onne in Rivers State on Saturday.

He stated that the nation was in the last few years being challenged by asymmetric and internal security threats emanating from insurgent groups, banditry, kidnapping, warranting critical operational and security engagements of the armed forces of Nigeria across different theatres of operation.

He noted that the Navy has continued to support sister security agencies in the North East, North West and North Central joint operations against the Boko Haram insurgents, armed bandits as well as ongoing internal security operations against secessionist groups in the South East.
To this end, Gambo said, “The Nigeria Navy has in the last couple of months brought to bear her dominant status in the West African region by sustaining an aggressive presence in the nation’s maritime environment, leading to the drastic reduction in acts of criminality in the gulf of guinea.

“The Nigerian navy has concluded collaboration efforts with the Ghana Navy to further combat piracy and maritime crime in the Gulf of Guinea. Plans are ongoing for the establishment of a standing multinational task force in the gulf of guinea.”