The Response of the Nigerian Government toward Preventing and Countering Maritime Piracy and Sea Terrorism in the Gulf of Guinea
Keywords:
Gulf of Guinea, Maritime Piracy, Nigeria, Prevention, Response, TerrorismAbstract
Purpose: Maritime Piracy is a risk to international safety which impacts the global maritime enterprise economically and from different perspectives. The phenomenon has been known to have affected the seafarers, ships, vessels and aircraft that are operating within international waters. Nigeria is the country that has the best prevalence of Maritime Piracy constituting 29% of the whole international incidences in 2019. This has made the state search for a method of stopping crime through the creation of a criminal method below the law of Anti-Piracy Suppression Act 2019. The problem is the level at which Maritime Piracy has become an uncontrollable crime and has escalated into terrorism in Nigeria for several decades without the authorities concerned, taking an adequate measures to curb the menace. This study examines critically the response strategies of Nigeria to curtail the crime of Maritime Piracy and other related crimes and its feasibility in addressing the problem. Methodology: The research used a qualitative technique of facts assembling and evaluation. Data were assembled from secondary sources including documented resources and media reports. The secondary sources consist of books, reports and other documents. The data obtained were analysed using thematic analytical interpretations. Findings: The work discovered that Maritime Piracy persists in Nigeria because of a lack of legal enforcement. Implications: The work recommends among others that the newly introduced law should be implemented fully with its sanctions and punishments to prevent the crime. Originality: until this study, no study has reported on the legal implications of maritime regulations in mitigating sea piracy and armed robbery in the Gulf of Guinea. Most of the studies give emphasis on the economic implications only.
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