An Uncontrolled Menace
With many lives, vessels and properties estimated at more than N20 billion lost to sea piracy over the last few years, the frequency of attacks seems uncontrolled as relevant agencies continue to pay lip service to combating the menace
By George Umunnakwe
While efforts at combating piracy and armed robbery at sea, also known as sea robbery, remain at best a mirage, a total of about N20 billion losses have been recorded in about 203 different attacks in recent times. This, equally, has resulted in not only captured vessels blown into pieces with explosives, more than 30 lives have been lost to the growing menace.
Notedly, not only are trawler owners weighed down by incessant pirate attacks on their vessels, they are said to be spending, averagely, a total of N10.5 billion on diesel to operate their fishing trawlers yearly. This, added to the attacks, have drastically affected the industry as activity in the sector have been reduced by about 50 per cent. “We used to be about 250 registered fishing trawlers in the country, with about 40 fishing companies in operation, but the issue of piracy and armed robbery at sea has contributed immensely to drastically reduce our number as we now have only about 17 registered fishing companies,” The Source was told by one trawler owner.
Interestingly, the areas around Escravos/Ramos River mouths, Brass/Middleton River mouths, Bonny/Sombreiro River mouths, all in the Niger Delta region, have been identified as veritable blackspots. Also not safe for vessel navigation are parts of Lagos territorial waters, around Lekki Axis, Awoye/ Aiyetoro/ Benin River and Badagry water mouths.
Government’s effort at combating the surge seemed to have been scuttled by the strong wave of crime in the area, as the pirates do not only overwhelm vessel owners with the sophistication of their weaponry, the swiftness with which they operate is said to often leave the national security committee, an organ set up by the Federal Government to arrest the ugly situation, perplexed. Members of the committee are drawn, The Source gathered, from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, the Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), PICOMSS and the Nigerian Trawler Owners Association (NITOA).
A breakdown obtained by The Source indicate that while more than 70 different attacks were recorded in 2008, about 30 has so far been recorded between January and May, 2009. Forty different cases were recorded in 2005, just as the figure recorded for 2006 was put at 35. For 2007, the evil perpetrators attacked 35 vessels and in all 30 deaths were recorded.
Speaking on the issue, Mrs. Margaret Orakwusi, president, NITOA, said that the industry has lost many innocent lives, valuable equipments, vessels, fish products valued at over three billion Naira, with an overall loss of all components valued at N20 billion and above.
Recently, she said, the pirates progressed in their style of operation by hijacking vessels with demands of huge ransom and threats of blowing up such vessels, with explosives if their owners fail to pay. She added that the pirates now operate unchallenged.
The piracy attacks, Mrs. Orakwusi further stated, occur along the coastal areas from Badagry to Bakassi Peninsula, noting that “Escravos/Ramous River mouths, Brass/Middleton River mouths and Bonny/Sombreiro River mouths are “very notorious areas for attacks.”
Also, the lawlessness in the creeks of Fishtown/Brass/Bartholomew/Babara makes nonesense of the Federal Government’s security in these areas.
According to her, communities along fishing routes now demand huge sums of money before vessels are allowed passage. “They have constituted themselves into republics, where settlements and clearance have to be made before vessels will be allowed to fish without hinderance. In fact, these are republics within the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Orakwusi said.
The incessant attacks had in 2008 led the trawler owners to down tools, as they reckoned that they could not continue to risk the lives of their crew. This had adversely affected the fishing market, as the prices of fish astronomically went up with the country recording huge revenue losses. The trawlers, The Source further gathered, lost over N2.8 billion during the 36 days the strike lasted.
Efforts by the government to resolve the problem finally paid off as the association in March 2008 called off the strike. This was after a new standing sub-committee on insecurity in the marine fishing environment which commenced sitting on February 28, 2008 promised to adequately secure the country’s territorial waters.
However, months after, the assurance broke down as the association in March 2009 once again cried out over attacks on her members. “Based on that assurance, we decided to send one-third of our vessels back to the sea. Unfortunately, in the first month of resumption of fishing activities, six vessels were attacked. A pointer which indicates that the sea is still not safe for industrial trawl fishing in Nigeria,” NITOA observed.
To Captain Iheanacho Ebubeogu, General Manager, Marine, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian waters are increasingly becoming unsafe for legitimate shipping activities. He stated that apart from fishing vessels being attacked by sea robbers, women of easy virtue, he said, are often taken abroad ships on anchorage in the outer bar with impunity.
Speaking at a stakeholders interactive forum on Long Range Tracking and Identification (LRIT) held recently in Lagos, Ebubeogu expained that apart from the issue of piracy, armed robbery and women of easy virtue taken on board vessels on anchorage, illegal immigrants also find their way into the country through the high seas. “There is exchange of persons going on at sea and through this illegality, many foreigners find their way without documentation into the country,” he lamented.
Continuing, Ebubeogu observed that “the spate of armed robbery on our waters is rather becoming so much. Alongside armed robbery, we have what is known as exchange of persons which has also become quite rampant.”
While noting that the Lagos waters are equally becoming unsafe for safe ship navigation, the General Manager, Marine, NPA, acknowledged the Niger Delta region of the country as the hottest spot for piracy in Nigeria, largely due to the activities of the militants.
Going through a list of vessels attacked by pirates/sea robbers between December 2002 and March 2009, made available to The Souce, Atlantic Shrimpers Limited appear to be the worst hit as her vessels have come under pirate attacks 132 different times. It is closely followed by ORC Fishing and Food Processing Limited, whose vessels have been attacked 42 times; Tarabaroz Fisheries Limited and Karflex Fisheries Limited have been each attacked 10 and six times respectively.
Furthermore, while the Niger Delta region account for more than 95 per cent of such attacks, vessels on Lagos waters have not been spared. Particularly, Ajumo/Lekki, FNM to Lagos Port; Off Awoye at 27 Fathons and Ajido Badagry are identified as black spots in the state. Other areas used by pirates, according to the document, are the Ogogoro village area; Awoye/Ayetoro and Ayetoro/Ogogoro; Lekki-35 Nautical Miles (NM) East; Lagos anchorage, 17 miles West of Lagos Anchorage and the Lagos /Ondo waters.
To combat the surge, NIMASA at the stakeholders meeting on LRIT, said the acquisition of more helicopters will assist in adequately securing the waters. Furthermore, the agency said, “if every vessel is equipped with long range tracking and identification device, distress calls on such vessels will be taken care of by our coast guards.”
Speaking through its Director-General, Dr. Ade Dosunmu, NIMASA assured trawlers of their safety as the agency, Dosunmu said, is collaborating with the Nigerian Navy to provide security on the country’s territorial waters.