The newly appointed Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, has assumed office, promising to deal decisively with oil thieves sabotaging the nation’s economy.
Speaking at the handing-over ceremony on Friday in Abuja, Ogalla said the activities of oil thieves, and piracy among others constitute a threat to maritime security as well as the nation’s economy.
He said, “We continually face significant threats such as crude oil theft, the prevalence of illegal refineries, Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, piracy, sea robbery, piracy, various forms of trafficking, and other maritime crimes.
“These are not just threats to our maritime security, but also our economic stability and national development. But let me be clear: We are committed to tackling these security challenges head-on. We will intensify our efforts to curb crude oil theft and put an end to illegal refining.
“We will enhance our capabilities to combat piracy and sea robbery and ensure the general safety of our maritime domain.
The former CNS, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo (retd), said under him, said the service evolved more stringent operations concepts and strategies to tackle the devastating impacts of piracy, sea robbery, the proliferation of illegal refineries, brazen crude oil theft, and destruction of critical oil and gas infrastructure among others.
He said, “To this end, we heightened our commitment to anti-piracy operations, anti-COT operations, choke point operations as well as riverine and swamp operations.
“To give impetus to this resolve, we embarked on massive fleet renewal, robust logistics management, acquisition of additional platforms, human capital enhancement, holistic infrastructural development, and effective collaboration with local and international partners.
“Our determination to face the several maritime security challenges would have been weakened if not for the immense support we received from the various quarters.”
