By Nkechi Eze
The Chief of the Naval Staff, Idi Abbas, has reaffirmed Nigeria’s leadership role in regional maritime security as he joined other West African naval chiefs at the Fifth Meeting of the ECOWAS Sub-Committee of Chiefs of the Naval Staff held in Ghana.
The strategic meeting, which took place from 16 to 20 February 2026, brought together naval chiefs from ECOWAS member states alongside key international and regional partners to strengthen cooperation against maritime threats in the Gulf of Guinea and across West Africa.
In a statement issued by the Acting Director of Information of the Nigerian Navy, Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, the meeting was attended by the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah, as well as directors of regional maritime security centres, representatives of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the European Union-African Chamber of Commerce, and the Commander of the Combined Maritime Task Force.
Addressing the gathering, Ambassador Musah commended the progress made since the adoption of the ECOWAS Integrated Maritime Strategy, particularly ongoing joint operations such as Operation Safe Domain in Zone E, Operation Anouanze in Zone F, and coordinated maritime patrols in Zone G.
He stressed the need for deeper regional cooperation to tackle terrorism, drug trafficking and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, while also calling for improved collaboration with landlocked countries including Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger to counter transnational organised crime.
The ECOWAS Commissioner also acknowledged Nigeria’s leadership in maritime security, highlighting the country’s Falcon Eye surveillance system as a critical asset in combating maritime crime in the Gulf of Guinea.
He further urged member states to develop strategies to address emerging security and environmental challenges, including the receding water levels in the Lake Chad Basin.
In a major development at the meeting, five countries Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone expressed readiness to join Nigeria in operationalising the Combined Maritime Task Force, a regional naval coalition designed for rapid deployment against maritime threats.
The task force is scheduled to be officially launched in Lagos between 31 May and 1 June 2026.
Participants praised Nigeria’s commitment as host nation of the initiative, noting that the country has already designated three naval ships, one helicopter, eight vehicles and a furnished temporary headquarters in Lagos to support the force.
The Combined Maritime Task Force is expected to serve as a rapid-response coalition, leveraging intelligence from maritime coordination centres under the Yaoundé Architecture to counter piracy, trafficking and other security threats in the Gulf of Guinea.
Vice Admiral Abbas’s participation and engagements at the meeting were seen as reinforcing Nigeria’s strategic influence and commitment to strengthening maritime security cooperation across West Africa.
His continued collaboration with regional partners under the Yaoundé Code of Conduct is expected to enhance information sharing, improve operational coordination and promote African-led solutions to maritime security challenges in the region.
