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UNODC, Denmark Collaborate to Boost War Against Maritime Crimes in Nigeria
UNODC, Denmark Collaborate to Boost War Against Maritime Crimes in Nigeria
By: Michael Mike
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), with funding from the Danish Government has built a Ship-in-a-Box (SIAB) simulator at the Joint Maritime Security Training Centre (JMSTC); to boost the war against maritime crimes in the country.
A statement on Friday by the UNODC said: “Maritime piracy, including kidnapping and robbery at sea, while in decline in the Gulf of Guinea, remains a threat, as groups involved seem to have moved at least for the time being into more lucrative and less risky markets. Oil theft, oil bunkering and related offences on the other hand experience a revival with devastating consequences for people and the environment. Moreover, multiple recent large-scale seizures suggest that trafficking by sea in all its forms persists. Illegal drugs, falsified medicines, small arms and light weapons, illegally harvested wildlife, and forest products as well as persons are being trafficking into, out of and within the region.”

The statement added that: “While reports of spectacular arrests and seizures should be interpreted as a sign of improved intelligence sharing and interception capacities of security and law enforcement authorities across the region, stakeholders shouldn’t rest on their oars because syndicate crime groups are constantly devising innovative ways to maneuvre established systems.”
The statement said: “To significantly enhance the skills and preparedness of maritime law enforcement officers to operate more efficiently and contribute to safer seas and maritime security, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), through the funding from the Danish Government, built a Ship-in-a-Box (SIAB) simulator at the Joint Maritime Security Training Centre (JMSTC); a facility which was commissioned February 28 in Lagos, Nigeria.”

It explained that: “The Ship-in-a-Box (SIAB) simulator provides a critical additional training infrastructure to enhance the capacity of military and civilian maritime law enforcement personnel in the conduct of Visit, Board, Search and Seizure Operations. It will help to improve the quality and frequency of training, while reducing costs as well as safety risks associated with the conduct of exercises at sea.
The statement said in stressing the importance of the facility and the UNODC approach to tackling maritime crime, the Country Representative of UNODC, Oliver Stolpe, at the commissioning said “While the Ship-in-a-Box undoubtedly will further strengthen our collective response to maritime crime, it represents only one element of a holistic approach. At UNODC we are of the firm conviction that an integrated strategy which combines elements of security, rule of law and prevention that will eventually guarantee a peaceful and prosperous maritime domain for the benefit of the countries and the people of the Gulf of Guinea.”
According to the Danish Ambassador to Nigeria , Sune Krogstrup robust and strategic partnerships can undoubtedly boost efforts to revolutionize the capacity of maritime personnel and enable safer seas and maritime ecosystem.
He said: “Confronting these challenges necessitates collective action to boost maritime security and ensure the unhindered flow of trade and the safety of lives at sea, aligning with various national, regional, and international frameworks. Denmark remains steadfast in its commitment through the Danish Maritime Security Programme (DMSP) to enhance the capabilities of national and regional institutions to secure the Gulf of Guinea and facilitate safe maritime passage.”
While thanking UNODC and the Government of Denmark as well as acknowledging our many years of substantial partnership, Rear Admiral P.C. Nwatu who represented the Chief of Naval Staff, added “The Nigerian Navy acknowledges the many years of collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to strengthen institutional and organizational capacities of member states to check criminality at sea. We are happy to lend our support to the improvement of the maritime law enforcement skills of other agencies both in Nigeria and our neighboring countries to enhance bilateral and multilateral joint actions in securing our individual and common maritime spaces. We therefore appreciate UNODC’s recent initiative through the Ship-in -a- Box programme and the Government of Denmark for funding it and pledge our continued support and cooperation.”
UNODC provided normative, analytical and operational assistance to Member States for strengthening the effectiveness, fairness and accountability of their criminal justice institutions to tackle crime, corruption and terrorism. This also aligns with UNODC’s Strategic Vision for Nigeria.
UNODC, Denmark Collaborate to Boost War Against Maritime Crimes in Nigeria
News
Bandit kill police operative, cart away service weapon in Bukuyum in Zamfara
Bandit kill police operative, cart away service weapon in Bukuyum in Zamfara
By: Zagazola Makama
A mobile police operative attached to Operation Restore Peace has been killed in an ambush by armed bandits in Adabka village, Bukkuyum Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
Zagazola Makama gathered that the incident occurred on Tuesday at about 11:44 a.m. when the officer, deployed from Mopol 15, Ilorin, left his duty location in Adabka en route to Tibis village to purchase essential supplies.
Security sources in Bukkuyum told Zagazola that the operative was attacked at the outskirts of Adabka by armed bandits concealed in the surrounding bushes.
The attackers reportedly opened fire on the officer, killing him instantly before carting away his service riot gun.
“Field teams deployed to the scene recovered the body of the fallen operative, which was evacuated to Adabka Primary Health Care Centre for documentation,” the source said.
Sources said that the mode of attack aligns with operational tactics used by bandit factions linked to the Dan-Karama Gwaska and Dansadau networks, known for precision ambushes and rapid withdrawal.
Bandit kill police operative, cart away service weapon in Bukuyum in Zamfara
News
GSU’s Public Administration Dept hosts maiden int’l conference
GSU’s Public Administration Dept hosts maiden int’l conference
Stakeholders comprising academics, policymakers, security experts and public-sector practitioners have deliberated ways of tackling insecurity in the country through a multi-faceted approach that includes economic empowerment, improved governance, and enhanced security cooperation.
They made the submission during the maiden International Conference organised by the Department of Public Administration, Gombe State University (GSU).
The conference was declared open on Tuesday by Prof. Sani Ahmed Yauta, the Vice Chancellor of the institution who stated that any engagement aimed at proffering solutions to the security challenges of the country was an engagement borne out of the need to fast-track national development and stability.
Represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration) Prof. Danladi Umar, Yauta urged participants to leverage the conference to contribute to ongoing efforts at addressing security challenges so as to enhance peace and development in the country.
In his keynote address, Prof. Ibrahim Abubakar Njodi, Secretary to the Gombe State Government, linked good governance to enhanced security and national development.
Njodi stressed that good governance remained a critical tool to earning citizens’ trust needed to maintain peace and to strengthen development across the country.
He stated that discourse around Nigeria’s governance had become imperative in view of the current security challenges confronting the nation and threatening national development.
He stressed the need for subnational governments to drive national development, adding that they have massive roles to play in determining Nigeria’s progress.
“It is the aggregation of subnational experiences—state successes and failures—that ultimately determines Nigeria’s trajectory.”
Njodi cited the Gombe State governance model and how it had contributed to improvement in human capital development as well as the development of the state and therefore resulting in the peaceful status that the state had enjoyed under Gov Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State’s leadership.
“The state’s development trajectory under Gov. Yahaya offers a practical demonstration of how visionary leadership, institutional innovation and participatory governance can transform a subnational entity within Nigeria’s federal system.
Speaking earlier, the Head of Public Administration Department, Prof. Matthew Funsho Bello, described the event as historic for both the department and the university.
Bello said that the conference’s theme, “Governance, Insecurity and National Development in Nigeria: Issues and Challenges,” was timely given the complexities of the nation’s socio-economic and security challenges.
“This gathering of distinguished scholars, public-sector experts, policymakers and practitioners from across the country marks a major milestone in our collective quest to address the vexing issues affecting our national life,” he said.
According to him, the theme reflects “the urgent need for academia, security agencies and public-sector experts to engage in constructive dialogue on how addressing insecurity and governance can drive sustainable development in Nigeria.
Security experts amongst other professionals made their presentations during the conference which are expected to form part of the recommendations at the end of the two-day event.
Dr Lawal Abdullahi Oladimeji, the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee of the Conference, lauded all participants and invited guests for the success of the maiden event.
Oladimeji said that recommendations from the conference would be given to relevant stakeholders towards enhancing national security and development.
GSU’s Public Administration Dept hosts maiden int’l conference
News
21 villagers abducted in kano communities as Security forces intensify search operation
21 villagers abducted in kano communities as Security forces intensify search operation
By: Zagazola Makama
Twenty-one persons have been abducted by suspected bandits in three villages of Tsanyawa Local Government Area of Kano State.
Zagazola Makama learnt that the coordinated attacks occurred in Sundu, Biresawa and Masaurari villages.
According to community members, two women were taken from Sundu, while five women and two children were abducted at Biresawa.
In Masaurari, nine men and one woman were reportedly seized, bringing the total number of abducted persons to 21 comprising nine men, eight women and two children.
The Police Command in Kano confirmed the attack noting that efforts had been intensified to rescue all victims unhurt.
The sources added that additional operatives had been deployed to the affected axis, while the area was being combed in collaboration with local vigilance groups and other security agencies.
The command assured residents of its commitment to restoring peace and urged the public to provide credible information that could aid ongoing operations.
21 villagers abducted in kano communities as Security forces intensify search operation
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