Hard drugs And Human Trafficking Through Nigerian Seaports: USA, France, NDLEA, Maritime Stakeholders, Brain Storm

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The United States of America, USA, and French Embassies are among hordes of other Diplomatic Missions in  Nigeria that have signified their participation in a Maritime Summit on Drug Smuggling and Human Trafficking in the country.

Similarly, regulatory agencies, such as the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency NDLEA, have expressed their readiness to be part of the Summit scheduled to hold on Thursday August 22, 2024, at the Eko Hotels ,in Lagos .

Worried about the rising incidents of large quantities of prohibited drugs and other unwholesome products  imported into the country of recent, the Maritime Security Providers Association of Nigeria MASPAN and the Alumni of Maritime Academy of Nigeria Oron AMANO, opted to organize the Summit to enable stakeholders come up with lasting solutions.

At a media briefing held  in Lagos at the weekend, Chairman of the planning Committee, Emmanuel Maiguwa,informed that the primary aim of the Summit is to  brain storm  on how best to stem the ugly trend of large consignments of banned substances found on ships arriving the shores of Nigeria,as well as increasing cases of stowaways on ships departing the country’s Seaports .

“Ships have been detained for several  months while, their crew were placed on trial and forced to remain without seeing their families for several years in cases drug smuggling .

“At the end of this Conference,we hope that stakeholders will arrive at workable solutions and mandate a working group to ensure the actualization of the resolutions reached .

“On the part of Human Trafficking ,cases of stowaways, especially, at Lagos Ports ,have continued to cause delays to vessels when they are found before  departure.

“Cases where discoveries were not made before departure have continued to burden ship owners because of the very complex administrative protocols involved in handling stowaways on ships”, Maiguwa lamented .

He noted that organizing the talk shop has become imperative ,going by the negatively disruptive effects smuggling ,and human trafficking are having on shipping operations in the country.

” The goal is to align with critical agencies,and stakeholders in ensuring that drug and human trafficking in the maritime domain are reduced to the barest minimum,if not eradicated ,perpetrators penalized ,in a way that innocent parties are not made to pay the price and the industry is not deprived of its growth potentials” he further noted .

The Summit billed to be chaired by the Minister for Marine and Blue Economy ,Gboyega Oyetola ,is also to be attended by both local and international shipping outfits .