Nigeria records no piracy incidents in four years — Naval chief

The Nigerian Navy has recorded no reported piracy incident in the country’s territorial waters for about four consecutive years, the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, has said.

Abbas disclosed this on Tuesday in Calabar, Cross River State, while speaking at the graduation ceremony of participants of Naval Warfare Course 10 at the Naval War College Nigeria.

The Naval chief attributed the development to improved maritime security but urged the Navy to maintain its operational efforts to contain emerging threats across Nigeria’s maritime domain.

“Encouragingly, Nigeria has maintained zero reported piracy incidents in our waters for four consecutive years, while incidents across the wider Gulf of Guinea have declined significantly,” he said.

“These gains must be sustained through persistent maritime domain awareness, credible presence at sea, regional cooperation and timely response.”

Abbas said maritime security remained critical to Nigeria’s economic stability because of the country’s offshore resources, ports, shipping routes and energy infrastructure.

He said the Navy had consequently intensified operations against crude oil theft, illegal mining and other activities capable of undermining national revenue.

The Naval chief said Nigeria’s crude oil production reached about 1.56 million barrels per day in June 2026, stressing that protecting the maritime environment was essential to safeguarding the country’s economic interests.

He urged the graduating officers to strengthen the gains already recorded by adopting emerging technologies and new approaches to naval operations.

According to him, the changing security environment requires commanders who can combine technology, intelligence and operational capabilities across maritime, land and cyber domains.

“The rapidly changing security environment requires commanders capable of integrating technology, intelligence and operational capabilities across maritime, land, cyber and other domains,” Abbas said.

He cited a research project presented during the course, titled “Adopting Emerging Technology for Operational Effectiveness in the Nigerian Navy: The Way Forward for Naval Engineering,” as an example of the growing importance of technology in military operations.

Abbas also said the Navy’s responsibilities extended beyond maritime security, noting that its personnel and specialised capabilities continued to support joint operations against terrorism, insurgency and other threats.

Earlier, the Commandant of the Naval War College Nigeria, Rear Admiral Muhammed Muye, said the course was designed to prepare senior officers for increased responsibilities in command, staff duties and strategic leadership.

A total of 34 participants completed the Naval Warfare Course 10, including officers from Cameroon, Ghana and Liberia.