New Telegraph

Port security officers decry increasing maritime crimes

Ports Facility Security Officers Forum of Nigeria (PFSOFN) has said that countries in the Gulf of Guinea have lost billions of dollars to piracy, armed robbery and other maritime crimes.

 

The association disclosed this in Asaba in Delta State while proffering solution and sharing intelligence to improve all ports security in the Gulf of Guinea.

 

The 2021 national conference with the theme: “Shaping the Future of Maritime Security in the Gulf of Guinea,” was aimed at achieving safer waterways in the GoG states.

 

According to the association, armed robbery, sea piracy, illegal fishing and bunkering as some of the criminal activities had affected ports operations negatively in the GoG countries.

 

Its National Chairman, Ignatius Uche, explained that criminal activities and attendant loss of billions of dollars had posed significant threats to the economy and national security of states that made up the Gulf of Guinea.

 

Uche, who was represented by the association’s National Vice Chairman, Mrs, Gloria Ayika, noted that the security challenges in the area had impacted negatively on ports operations in Nigeria.

 

He stressed that maritime criminal activity in whatever guise must be vigorously fought and brought to a standstill in the region.

 

Also, Ayika, who is the Chairman of Niger Delta Maritime Security Area (NDMSA), noted that there were security challenges in the GoG, saying that the ports facility security officers were making efforts to improve their services in the ports.

 

She explained that the group had arrested some stowaways and handed over to different security agencies for prosecution.

 

At the forum, the Inspector General of Police, Alkali Baba Usman, explained that it was not only the maritime sector that was facing security challenges but the entire globe was battling with security challenges both on land and sea.

 

The police chief, who was represented by the Delta state Commissioner of Police, Ari Mohammed Ali, said businesses could not thrive in any environment where there is security challenge.

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