Chiefs of the naval staff of ECOWAS member states recently convened in Accra, Ghana, to strengthen the Combined Maritime Task Force in response to growing threats in the Gulf of Guinea, according to a statement by the Nigerian Navy on Monday.

It said that the fifth meeting of the ECOWAS Sub-Committee of Chiefs of the Naval Staff, held between February 16 and 20, addressed escalating maritime insecurity, including terrorism, drug trafficking, and illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.

It also said that the ECOWAS Naval leaders stressed the urgent need for deeper regional cooperation, adding that Nigeria’s chief of naval staff, Idi Abbas, led the discussions.

The statement said this was alongside the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Abdel-Fatau Musah, the directors of regional maritime security centres, and the Multinational Maritime Coordination Centres Zones E, F and G.

It added that representatives from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the European Union-African Chamber of Commerce, and the Commander of the CMTF were also present.

According to the statement, Mr Musah commended strides made under the ECOWAS Integrated Maritime Strategy, highlighting Operation SAFE DOMAIN in Zone E, Operation ANOUANZE in Zone F, and Joint Maritime Patrols in MMCC Zone G.

He also sued for stronger coordination with landlocked countries like Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger to combat terrorism and transnational organised crime.

The statement said the meeting spotlighted environmental security concerns in the Lake Chad Basin and lauded Nigeria’s FALCON EYE Surveillance System for enhancing maritime situational awareness in the Gulf of Guinea.

”A key outcome was renewed momentum to operationalise the CMTF through a coalition of willing nations, with Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone formally expressing interest in joining Nigeria.

”The flag-off of the task force is scheduled to hold in Lagos between May 31 and June 1, with Nigeria, as host nation, contributing three ships, one helicopter, eight vehicles, and a temporary furnished office to support the CMTF.

”The task force is designed as a rapid-response, coordinated maritime force leveraging intelligence from the Yaoundé Architecture to tackle evolving threats in the region,” he said.

He added that Mr Abbas’ strategic leadership at the meeting underscored Nigeria’s role as the anchor of regional maritime security, while signalling heightened expectations for Abuja to translate commitments into sustained operations and stronger regional coordination.

(NAN)