Five West African Navies back Nigeria’s CMTF plan
…Navy commits three ships, copter, ehicles ahead of flag-off
Nigeria has secured commitments from five West African countries to operationalise the regional Combined Maritime Task Force (CMTF), in a move aimed at strengthening security in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG), thenationonlineng.net reported.
The breakthrough was reached at the fifth meeting of the Sub-Committee of Chiefs of the Naval Staff (CNS) of ECOWAS held in Accra, Ghana, from February 16 to 20.
Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone indicated interest in joining Nigeria in operationalising the task force, which is scheduled for inauguration in Lagos from May 31 to June 1.
The CNS, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, led the country’s delegation to the meeting, where regional naval leaders reviewed ongoing maritime security operations and agreed on steps to fast-track the deployment of the CMTF.
Already, the Nigerian Navy has committed three ships, one helicopter, eight vehicles and office facilities in Lagos to support the CMTF’s take-off.
Speaking at the meeting, ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Abdel-Fatau Musah, said member states must deepen cooperation to tackle terrorism, drug trafficking and illegal, unreported and unregulated IUU) fishing. He also called for closer coordination with landlocked countries battling transnational organised crime.
Participants assessed progress under the ECOWAS Integrated Maritime Strategy, including joint patrols across designated maritime zones, a statement by the Director of Naval Information (DINFO) Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, said.
According to the statement, Nigeria’s Falcon Eye surveillance system was cited as a major asset in efforts to curb maritime crime in the Gulf of Guinea.
Representatives of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and other regional maritime coordination centres also attended the meeting.
The CMTF is expected to serve as a rapid-response, ready-to-deploy force, drawing intelligence from maritime centres under the Yaoundé framework to address evolving threats in West Africa’s waters.
