A body of security officers in charge of the various terminals and jetties in Nigeria; the Port Facility Security Officers (PFSO) has confirmed increase in the spate of attacks on vessels at berth. It also described the development as very worrisome.
The forum said that the dislodgement of criminals from the Atlas Cove area in Lagos has led to the increase in the attacks on vessels berthed at port terminals in Apapa and its environs.
A member of the group; Mr Oscar Alu, at the last monthly meeting of the Forum which held in Apapa, said that development in that area has left the criminals with no alternative than to leverage on the already porous waterfront to continue attack on vessels just to sustain themselves
The Forum has, consequently, set up a three-man Committee comprising of : Nwora Ibegbu (PFSO, Folawiyo Energy), Oscar Chijioke (PFSO, PTML) and the Forum’s Assistant Secretary (Iyke Ogunna) to come up with a position paper to be forwarded to the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the Assistant Inspector General, Maritime Police Command and other relevant Government agencies on the prevalence of attack on vessels at berth within the Lagos Ports.
Alu said: “We have observed that there has been sudden increase in the spate of the attack recently since the Government seemed to have reinforced the security arrangement at the Atlas Cove. “Government security agencies must do the needful by regulating the movement of crafts and small boats within the waterfront.”
The chairman of the forum, Dr Uche Ignatius, noted that efforts are already ongoing by NPA and Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA to address the issue.
Uche disclosed that procurement processes by the government agencies for patrol boats have reached advanced stage.
The alternate PFSO of Capital Oil however alleged that most of the attacks were aided by the On-Board Security/Tally Clerks personnel.
He noted that the attacks will reduce when solution to the problem of on-board security personnel has been found.
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