EFCC begins probe of eight suspected oil thieves, vessel in Port Harcourt

By Matthew Ogune

The Port Harcourt Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has commenced investigation of eight suspected oil thieves and a vessel, Miracle Worker, handed over to it by the Nigerian Navy.

The EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, who disclosed this, yesterday, in Abuja, said that the suspects were handed over to the commission by the Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base, Bonny, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, after being intercepted for suspected involvement in illegal oil bunkering.

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Source: guardian.ng

Two oil thieves bag three years jail term in Lagos

A Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced two oil thieves, Jacob Momodu and Onutu Anthony, to three years imprisonment each.

The convicts were arraigned on a three-count charge bordering on dealing in petroleum product without appropriate license, after they were arrested by officers of the Nigerian Navy and handed over to the Commission for investigation.

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Source: guardian.ng

CEMLAWS reveals alarming trends of wide spread of piracy incidents in Gulf of Guinea

The Executive Director of the Centre for Maritime Law and Security (CEMLAWS) and a Retired Naval Captain, Dr. Kamal-Deen Ali, has revealed alarming trends in its new report concerning the dark shades of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, indicating an exponential spread of attacks across the Gulf, where Ghana was not spared.

The retired Naval Captain indicated that “as the month of August came to an end, pirates registered their presence in Ghana’s Exclusive Economic Zone, with an attack on the Ghanaian-flag fishing vessel AP 703 where two foreign crew members were kidnapped.”

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Source: ghanaweb.com

Why sea piracy is rampant now in Nigeria

By Godfrey Bivbere

THE spate of pirate attacks in Nigeria’s maritime domain has been attributed to dearth of ships to engage the growing number of unemployed seafarers.

Linked to this is also the problem of lack of sea-time training for the cadets being produced annually from various maritime academies in the country.

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Source: vanguardngr.com

Nigerian Navy deploys 6 warships, 60 gunboats against pirates, oil thieves

BY Desmond Ejibas

The Nigerian Navy has deployed troops on board six warships, including 60 gunboats, in a special military exercise to tackle pirates, oil smugglers and other criminals in the nation’s waters.

Rear Adm. David Adeniran, Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Naval Command (ENC), Calabar, announced the deployment at the flag-off of the exercise in Onne, Rivers.

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Source: pmnewsnigeria.com

MDAT-GoG issues alert

This morning (Tuesday 22nd), MDAT-GoG issued an alert that stated a merchant vessel had been approached by a skiff with 8 persons on board, in position 03°5501N / 001°0300W (121 Nm southwest of Accra).

The vessel was able to evade the suspected pirates and any attempted boarding and was later identified as the MT Hafnia Phoenix by Tradewinds. They reported that a ladder had been sighted in the skiff.

Pirates Threatening To Kill Russian Sailors Abducted Near Equatorial Guinea – Official

Sumaira FH

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik – 18th September, 2020) Pirates are threatening to kill the three Russian sailors of Crimean origin who were abducted off the coast of Equatorial Guinea if ransom is not provided, Alexander Molokhov, the head of a working group on international legal issues in Crimea, told Sputnik.

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Source: urdupoint.com

Joint War Committee amends GoG risk area

On Sunday 20th, the Joint War Committee reportedly amended its listed risk area within the Gulf of Guinea. Maritime kidnappings have been an ongoing issue for the Gulf of Guinea, particularly in the waters around Nigeria, although other nations have also been affected.

Dryad Global initially reported the new amendments, which are as follows:

a) On the west, from the coast of Togo 6° 06′ 45″ N,

b) high seas point 0° 40′ S, 3° 00′ E

c) and then east to Cape Lopez Peninsula, Gabon 0° 40′ S, 8° 42′ E

Following the money: The use of the hawala remittance system in the Yemen–Somalia arms trade

By Jay Bahadur

The ubiquity of small arms and light weapons (SALW) in Yemen, as well as centuries-old cultural and commercial ties with Somalia, has made Yemen the primary source for illicit arms among Somali importers. Consignments of small arms and ammunition from Yemen cross the Gulf of Aden in a matter of hours to the northern coast of Puntland, a semi-autonomous region in northern Somalia. The port city of Bosaso, Puntland’s largest city and commercial capital, is the financial epicentre of the illicit trade. Arms from Yemen fuel the ongoing civil conflict in Somalia, and many are believed to be transported on throughout the broader East Africa region.

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Source: globalinitiative.net

India joins Djibouti Code of Conduct as Observer

New Delhi [India], September 16 (ANI): India has joined the Djibouti Code of Conduct as Observer, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said here on Wednesday.

“India has joined the Djibouti Code of Conduct/ Jeddah Amendment, as Observer, following the high level meeting of the Djibouti Code of Conduct/ Jeddah Amendment (DCOC/JA) held virtually on August 26,” MEA said in a statement.

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Source: bignewsnetwork.com