President Muhammadu Buhari is in Equatorial Guinea to hold talks with President Obiang Nguema Mbasogo on further measures to protect the people and resources of the Niger Delta and the Gulf of Guinea.
According to a statement by Femi Adesina, special adviser to the president, “The conclusion and signing of an agreement by Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea for the establishment of a combined maritime policing and security patrol committee on Tuesday is expected to be the outcome of President Buhari’s talks with his host.”
Buhari and Mbasogo are also expected to come to an agreement on “other collaborative measures to combat crimes such as piracy, crude oil theft, attacks on oil rigs, arms smuggling and human trafficking in the Gulf of Guinea.”
Piracy on the Gulf of Guinea continues to grow at an alarming rate and have assumed new forms, according to the Nigerian Navy. On December 2015, the security agency disclosed, “it is no longer the traditional challenges such as smuggling, piracy, illegal unreported and unregulated fishing and oil bunkering alone that we are witnessing.
“We are now witnessing more organised challenges with local and international connections in area of crude oil theft, drug trafficking, gun running, illegal immigrations, terrorism and many others.”
Among other things, the President is expected to deliberate on the rescheduling of the joint summit of the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) on additional cooperative measures to curb terrorism and violent extremism in West and Central Africa. The summit, which was supposed to have been held last year by Equatorial Guinea, had to be shifted because of the general elections in Nigeria.
The Minister of Defence, Brigadier General Mansur Dan-Ali, the National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno, and other senior security officials went with the President on the trip. They are expected back to Abuja on Tuesday.
