The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, on Thursday vowed to intensify efforts to combat maritime crime and strengthen security across Nigeria’s territorial waters.
Abbas made the pledge during an operational visit to Calabar, the Cross River State capital, where he inspected facilities at the Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital and other key naval projects.
He said the Navy remains fully committed to safeguarding the country’s maritime environment against threats such as piracy, oil theft and illegal activities.
“The Navy is committed to making Nigeria’s waters safe and secure. Be rest assured, we are going to make our maritime environment very safe and secure,” Abbas said.
The naval chief expressed satisfaction with what he described as recent operational gains by the service, noting that progress made in the past few weeks was encouraging.
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“I am happy with what I have seen, and particularly the operational gains that have been made in the last few weeks are encouraging,” he stated.
Abbas explained that his visit to Calabar was part of a broader nationwide inspection tour of naval commands, units and formations aimed at strengthening the Navy’s effectiveness.
He asserted the exercise is focused on assessing operational capacity, identifying key challenges and setting priorities in line with the Navy’s core mandate of maritime security.
“Basically, I am here to assess the operational capabilities of the Navy with a view to identifying some of the critical challenges and, by extension, what needs to be prioritised towards achieving the mandate of the Nigerian Navy, which is the maritime security of the nation,” he said.
Nigeria’s coastal waters and inland waterways have in recent years faced persistent security challenges, including piracy, smuggling and vandalism of oil and gas infrastructure — threats the Navy says it is determined to eliminate.
