By Tosin Olatokunbo
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA has alerted the Department of State Services, DSS, Nigerian Police, Navy and other security agencies over 13 vessels, said to be heading to Nigeria from five countries heavily affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The United States of America, USA, Brazil, Russia and the United Kingdom are top on the list of the World Health Organisation, WHO on COVID 19.
The magazine cannot confirm whether the vessels are from these countries.
NIMASA received the alert through the Command, Control, Communication, Computer and Intelligence System (C4i) Centre of the Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure domiciled in the top maritime regulator.
But “We are counting on the continued cooperation of front line government agencies and private sector operators in this regard as we jointly wage the war against the COVID-19 pandemic,” Bashir Jamoh, the Director General of the agency said in a directory issued on Friday.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC has warned state and non-state actors to stop the spread of the disease that the situation could deteriorate except concrete steps are taken to stop its spread, following spike in the number of COVID 19 cases in the last few weeks.
The agency said eight of the vessels are expected in Lagos, five in Rivers ports, and will arrive the country between now and mid-July.
The agency, however, stated that the advisory was not meant to create panic in the country but merely to alert relevant security agencies in the country on the danger arising from allowing the vessels to berth without detection.
Meanwhile, industry watchers say some of the vessels may have arrived the country territorial waters already, and are just waiting to berth.
