FG moves to enforce anti-piracy law

The Federal Government has embarked on measures to ensure a smooth enforcement of the newly enacted anti-piracy law as part of efforts to stem criminality on Nigerian waters. This was revealed in Lagos at the annual Strategic Admiralty Law Seminar for Judges put together by the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS) and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA). The theme of the conference was, ‘Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences (SPOMO) Act, 2019: Key to Accelerating and Achieving Safe and Secure Shipping in Nigeria.’

Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Directors-General of NIMASA and NIALS, Dr. Dakuku Peterside and Professor Mohammed Tawfiq Ladan, respectively, emphasised the need for unencumbered implementation of the law. They called for cooperation among the enforcement agencies, stressing that stringent penalties await maritime criminals in the country.

Dakuku noted that there was now a robust framework for the criminalisation and punishment of piracy and other maritime crimes in Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea. He said the seminar afforded the judiciary and the agency a unique opportunity to dialogue on issues of mutual importance, particularly, the sensitisation of judges on contemporary maritime law issues both within and outside the Nigerian jurisdiction.

The seminar was previously meant for Judges of the Federal High Court, Court of Appeal, and High Courts of the littoral states. But this year, the scope of participation was further enlarged to include law enforcement agencies.

On his part, the Director-General of NIALS, Ladan, said with the Nigerian economy generating more than 70 per cent of seaborne trade in West Africa, the country and region will prosper if the seas were safe for investment and commerce.