Business
Stakeholder Wants Legal Framework For Pirates’ Prosecution
In a bid to curb the activities
of sea pirates and waterways robbers in Nigerian territorial waters, the Federal Government has been urged to formulate a legal framework to prosecute such offenders in a competent court of jurisdiction.
A stakeholder in Maritime business Chief Ifeanyi Okorie Ibe made the call in an interview with our correspondent in Port Harcourt on Wednesday.
Ibe said lack of competent jurisdiction to try all maritime related offences and proper legal framework had been responsible for the high rate of sea piracy and robberies on the waterways.
According to him, if those criminals and offenders are prosecuted accordingly, it would serve as deterrant to others, but a situation where their case ends with the Nigerian navy or police is not the best.
He said the activities of these hoodlums have been on the increase in recent times, and there is urgent need for a bill to domesticate the international law on security and safety on the waterways.
The stakeholder maintained that International Maritime Organisation (IMO) who is the global maritime watchdogs has on several forum harped on how to tackle the menace of sea pirates, robbery on the waterways and other sundry matters, but that the greatest challenge had been a domestication of all international conventions against suppression of unlawful activities, of safety marine, navigation and piracy at sea.
Ibe said Nigerian Maritime stakeholders are worried over the increasing spate of hijacking of vessels, cargo theft with crew members within the territorial waters, and reiterated that all relevant authorities should ensure that an enabling law for prosecution of offenders be promulgated to curb the menace.
Collins Barasimeye