The Federal Government of Nigeria is investigating the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) as a significant route for arms trafficking, National Security Adviser Mallam Nuhu Ribadu announced on Tuesday at a seminar in Abuja.
The seminar, organized by the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), focused on climate change and arms proliferation in the region.
Ribadu, represented by his Director of External Affairs, Ibrahim Babani, highlighted the GoG’s rich resources and its 6,000-kilometer coastline, which is a crucial maritime gateway.
“However, the lucrative nature of the GoG attracts strange bedfellows and men of the underworld,” he said, noting that organized crime syndicates engage in drug trafficking, piracy, and the smuggling of small arms and light weapons.
He stated that in 2023, 14 crew kidnappings occurred in the GoG, underscoring its dangerous reputation for maritime security. “This maritime threat has evolved from the looting and hijacking of oil cargos to the kidnapping of seafarers, bringing the root cause of the problem sharply into focus,’’ he added.
Ribadu emphasized the urgent need to explore the connections between climate change, armed violence, and arms proliferation.
—Ezinwanne Onwuka reports for TruthNigeria from Abuja.
