The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba, has called for the prosecution of those apprehended by the Navy for carrying out illegal activities along the country’s waterways.
Ezeoba said this on Wednesday in Calabar after the inspection and inauguration of some projects undertaken by the Eastern Naval Command in Calabar area.
He said the enforcement and prosecution of those arrested would serve as a deterrent to other prospective thieves.
The CNS said this was one of the operational challenges the force was facing in the fight against crimes in the country’s maritime boundaries.
He said the Navy had challenges of inadequate platform but added that the Navy was doing what it could to add value in this regard.
He said, “To police our large maritime boundaries requires a lot of platforms in the right places. Which means helicopters, operational patrol vehicles, human capacity and above all, technology, to provide us with the requisite surveillance?
“And to large extent enforcement, which means that those who have been arrested for engaging in act of illegality are prosecuted in courts of competent Jurisdiction. And appropriate punishment meted to serve as deterrent to other people. And I think all of that is coming on stream.
“Very soon we begin to see a very high level of compliance by Nigerians, particularly, as it pertains to rules and regulations governing the maritime industry.”
The CNS said the Eastern Naval Command had been able to check illegal activities along the waterways within its area of operation.
“From the demographic and the operational chart that we have, the ENC would have been able to reduce, to a very large extent, the act of vandalism. Particularly along the Calabar River and Akwa Ibom River and this has given Sea fearers and commuters who use the waterway, to have more confidence on our water-ways,” Ezeoba said.
Source: The Punch
Via: http://en.afrikinfos.com/
