Last week, the Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Naval Command, Rear Admiral Chidozie Donald Okehie, flagged off Exercise DIN MINGI during a ceremony held onboard Nigerian Navy Ship SHERE. The word DIN MINGI means “Safe Waters” in Ibani dialect and the theme of the Exercise is “Protecting Critical Infrastructure Through Inter-Agency Collaboration.”
The sea exercise is designed to assess the operational readiness of the Eastern Fleet while strengthening synergy among maritime security agencies. It features the deployment of nine Nigerian Navy ships, helicopters from the Nigerian Navy and Nigerian Air Force, Epsilon EP55 UAVs, and multipurpose assault boats from both the Nigerian Army and Nigerian Navy.
The operations to be conducted during the Exercise will be within Eastern Naval Command’s Area of Responsibility and will test the Fleet’s logistical endurance, tactical response capabilities, and command-and-control systems in a simulated multi-threat environment. Participating units will undertake anti-piracy and anti-hijacking drills, anti-drug trafficking operations, anti-oil theft and illegal bunkering missions, fleet manoeuvres, and Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) operations. Rear Admiral Okehie expressed confidence that the Exercise will sharpen operational readiness, enhance inter-agency coordination, and reinforce the collective determination to maintain safe and secure waterways essential for economic activities.
On his part, the Officer in Tactical Command, Rear Admiral Kolawole Olumide Oguntuga, urged personnel to remain professional, vigilant, and safety-conscious, noting that every sea operation presents an opportunity to refine skills and strengthen teamwork. The ceremony was attended by senior military officers and dignitaries, including the General Officer Commanding 6 Division, Major General EE Emekah; FOC NAVTRAC, Rear Admiral Ebiobowei Abraham Zipele; Commander 115 Special Operations Group, Group Captain AA Okpaleye; as well as representatives from the Nigerian Police Force, NSCDC, NDLEA, NLNG, and others.
