By AISHA COLE

The Nigerian Maritime Law Association (NMLA) on Saturday in Lagos expressed concerns about the killing of four alleged pirates in the Gulf of Guinea.

The alleged pirates were reported to have been killed by the Danish Navy from their frigate, ESBERN SNARE, operating within the waters of the gulf.

NMLA president Mrs Funke Agbor and the association’s Secretary, Dr Emeka Akabogu, raised the concerns in a statement in which they expressed worries about the sanctity of Nigeria’s sovereignty.

They stated that the association supported all efforts to rid the Gulf of Guinea of piracy, maritime offences and all forms of criminality, but were worried about the application of the rule of law.

“The association is concerned about the sanctity of Nigeria’s sovereignty, application of the rule of law and respect for protocols of engagement with regard to the instant incident.

“The incident was alleged to have occurred in international waters, 25 to 30 nautical miles south of Nigeria’s territorial waters.

“The association calls for an independent inquiry, focused on establishing the precise location of this incident and whether there had been compliance with the relevant rules of engagement,’’ the statement read.

The association also called on the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency to immediately kick-start the formulation and implementation of a comprehensive maritime strategy for Nigeria.

It stated the need for the implementation of a maritime strategy as mandated by the Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences Act 2019.

The Act incorporates strategic security synergy between all law enforcement and commercial shipping actors. (NAN)

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