Piracy Bill Presented To Stakeholders

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has presented a Draft Bill on Piracy and Other Unlawful Acts at Sea aimed at fighting piracy and armed robbery at sea to stakeholders in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

The NIMASA Director-General, Mr. Ziakede Patrick Akpobolokemi represented by the Legal Adviser, Barr. Matthew Egbadon, said that the bill is expected to provide legal backing to the fight against piracy and other sea criminalities to curb the financial losses, which, according to him, are in excess of three billion US dollars.

Akpobolokemi noted that the draft bill, which was put together by NIMASA’s consultant, the agency’s technical consultant, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), and the legal team of NIMASA, entails the review of the UNCLOS 1982 and the SUA 1988 conventions and protocols, as they relate to piracy.

“NIMASA being the focal point for the implementation of relevant maritime conventions on safety and security in Nigeria engaged Mr. Mike Igbokwe SAN to articulate and produce a comprehensive Maritime Security Bill which is being presented to you today. It is our hope that this workshop would enable all of you stakeholders to make your contributions to the bill before we send it to the National Assembly for enactment,” he said.

—Esther Komolafe