Six trainers from the U.S. Coast Guard Training Center are training officers of the Nigerian Navy on protecting the Gulf of Guinea in a four-week intensive U.S. Coast Guard Boarding Officer training program. 

The program kicked off on Monday and was announced in a press statement from the U.S. Consulate in Lagos. This program seeks to strengthen maritime law enforcement capabilities in Nigerian waters, particularly in the Gulf of Guinea.  

 “Participants will explore best practices in countering illicit maritime activities such as illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing; the trafficking of weapons, narcotics, and people; as well as the ongoing threat of piracy and oil infrastructure insecurity,” the statement said, “The U.S. Coast Guard training is part of a close and continuous military partnership between the United States and Nigeria spanning decades to strengthen defense ties and promote regional security.”    

The program is sponsored by the U.S. Africa Command and will explore a variety of internationally recognized techniques and procedures for maritime law enforcement at-sea. Other training programs will include proper use of force, evidence processing, and arrest procedures.   

In August, Peoples Gazette reported that vessel USS Hershel “Woody” Williams and its officers visited and participated in a sea training exercise with Nigerian offshore patrol vessels.     

This training program follows the U.S.’ reiteration of its commitment to multiple bilateral and multilateral military exercises.