The Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, has called for the establishment of a special court dedicated to prosecuting maritime crimes, arguing that such a move would accelerate the delivery of justice and strengthen the fight against crude oil theft and other illegal activities in the country’s maritime domain.

He said the proposed court would focus exclusively on cases involving crude oil theft and other maritime-related offences, helping to address delays associated with the conventional judicial process.

“What we are pushing for is that we should have a special court that will try these maritime criminals,” the naval chief said on Friday on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.

According to him, the establishment of such a court would significantly accelerate the dispensation of justice and reduce the burden currently placed on the Navy in maintaining seized vessels and other exhibits pending the conclusion of lengthy court processes.

“If we have that in place, I believe the dispensation of justice will be done much faster and then ease the burden of keeping and maintaining some of the arrested vessels, which will be taken off from us because we spend a lot to maintain those vessels under our custody,” he stated.

Vice Admiral Abbas noted that the Navy incurs substantial operational costs in securing and maintaining vessels arrested for involvement in crude oil theft and other maritime offences while awaiting prosecution and judgment.

The naval chief said the proposed court would complement the Navy’s ongoing efforts to secure Nigeria’s territorial waters, which have witnessed significant improvements in recent years due to increased maritime patrols and investments in naval assets.

“What has changed operationally is constant presence at sea, and that’s as a result of the fleet recapitalisation we have undertaken. With more vessels now available to us, we have more ships out there patrolling our waters,” he said.

He attributed the improved security situation not only to the acquisition of additional platforms but also to the deployment of modern surveillance and monitoring technologies.

“Most importantly, the use of technology has also contributed to that, so we have almost total control of our maritime domain,” Abbas added.

The naval chief highlighted Nigeria’s removal from the global list of piracy-prone countries as evidence of the progress made in maritime security.

“If I may say, I think in 2023, that was when Nigeria was delisted from the list of piracy-prone countries, and it has remained so to date,” he said.

While acknowledging occasional incidents of sea robbery, Abbas stressed that the Navy remains vigilant and is committed to sustaining the gains achieved in securing the nation’s waters.

“Even though we still have little pockets of sea robbery, we are not resting on our oars because if our own waters are relatively safe and those of our neighbours are not, then we cannot totally say we are also free,” he said.

He said that maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea requires sustained regional cooperation, noting that threats in neighbouring waters can easily spill across national boundaries. (Channels News)

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