Operators of terminals ‘C’ and ‘D’ at the Lagos Ports Complex (LPC); ENL Consortium Limited has raised an alarm over the abandonment of vessels on Lagos waters, saying that criminals now use the wrecks as a base to access the terminal and vandalise cargoes.
This revelation was made known yesterday in Lagos by the Health Security Safety and Environment manager of the terminal; Mr. Oyinloye Raphael during an interactive session with the Western port police.
Operators of terminals ‘C’ and ‘D’ at the Lagos Ports Complex (LPC); ENL Consortium Limited has raised an alarm over the abandonment of vessels on Lagos waters, saying that criminals now use the wrecks as a base to access the terminal and vandalise cargoes.
This revelation was made known yesterday in Lagos by the Health Security Safety and Environment manager of the terminal; Mr. Oyinloye Raphael during an interactive session with the Western port police.
According to him, miscreants have made the abandoned vessels their hideout to perpetrate evils, adding that series of attack on cargoes at the terminal have been traced to the bandits who often hibernate in the abandoned ships.
He disclosed that the miscreants use smaller crafts like canoes to ferry themselves back to the wreck on Lagos waters after unleashing terror at the terminals.
Speaking further, Oyinloye added that at night, the abandoned vessels are illuminated by touch lights; which further authenticate the presence of criminals on board the wrecked vessels.
Oyinloye urged the Western ports Police commissioner; Hilda Harrison to draw the attention of the director general of NIMASA; Mr Patrick Akpobolokemi to the menace and also seek assistance of the agency in providing platforms for the police to perform better.
He said NIMASA as the Designated Authority (DA) for the International Ships and Ports Facility Security (ISPS) Code should assist the Western Port Police authority in the area of equipment in ensuring that the terminals are protected by the Police.
"It is the duty of NIMASA as the Designated Authority (DA) to remove all wrecks that serve as a threat to our economy and waters and if they do, it will solve some of our problems", he stressed.
The safety and security manager frowned at the recent gesture of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) of providing two boats to the Nigeria Navy, stressing that the vessels would have been given to the Nigeria Port Police to patrol the western waters.
Responding, Western Port Police Commissioner, Mrs Hilda Ibifuro Harrison promised to meet with the director general of NIMASA for assistance.
Harrison added that the marine police will further strengthen the synergy with other maritime agencies to protect and secure the ports and terminals under her watch.
The commissioner assured all terminal operators to remain calm, adding that the port police will raid the miscreants out of their hide out.
Discussion about this post