Nigeria calls for quick enactment of anti-piracy law

The Nigerian government on Monday said it would facilitate the passage of the Anti-Piracy and Other related Crimes at Sea Bill into law.

The law was necessary to provide the requisite framework for the fight, prosecution and punishment for piracy and related maritime crimes in Nigeria, Dakuku Peterside, the Director-General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) said.

Peterside stated this at a four-day workshop organized by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in collaboration with the U.S. Government in Lagos, the country's commercial hub.

The director-general thanked participants at the workshop and urged them to do a thorough job so as to ensure early passage of the bill into law when presented to the National Assembly to reduce delays.

He assured participants and maritime stakeholders that the agency would collaborate with the Federal Ministry of Transportation, the Federal Ministry of Justice and all relevant stakeholders on the bill.

He said the collaboration would ensure early conclusion of work on the draft bill and ultimate transmission to the National Assembly for enactment.

The Anti-Piracy bill which is an initiative of the agency was conceived to incorporate the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) and the Suppression of Unlawful Acts at Sea (SUA) Conventions of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) into a comprehensive legislation.

The legislation would deal with the menace of piracy and related crimes in the Nigerian maritime domain.

Piracy and armed robbery in Nigeria's waterways have increased in recent years, drawing international attention. Endit