By Evelyn Usman

The Nigerian and Indian navies have strengthened tiers to ensure maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea, with a view to maintaining its sea lanes as a conduit of international trade.

To this effect, an Indian Navy Ship, INS Sumedha arrived in Lagos yesterday, for a three-day port call.

Speaking with journalists at the Western Naval Command, Apapa, shortly after the Offshore Patrol vessel berthed at the Apapa seaport, Indian Defence attaché to Nigeria, Col.Romi Singh Legha, disclosed that during the visit both navies would engage in various training.

While noting that both countries’ navies had a long history of defense cooperation, he explained that the visit would further “increase interoperability between the two navies as well as increase anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Guinea”.

He commended the Nigerian Navy in particular and other navies in general for being able to curb piracy and other maritime criminalities in the region, in the last two years.

To further consolidate the efforts, INS Sumedha’s primary reason for the port call visit to Nigeria according to Legha, was ” to support the Nigerian Navy in anti-piracy operations. There would be a cross deck of visitations across ships where officers of both ships would be visiting each other’s ships and conducting training onboard. We would also be having exercises with the Nigerian Navy vessels”, he stated.

On his part, the Flag Officer Commanding, FOC Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Mustapha Hassan, said such visits were good for improving friendship and cooperation between both countries.  

Rear Admiral Hassan asserted, “Such collaboration between our two countries is good for enhancing national security and in this case, security in the Gulf of Guinea which aligns with the vision of the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral  Emmanuel Ogalla, towards improving security in our maritime domain.

“We have had a  very beautiful relationship with India which has spanned well over five decades and the Navy in particular has had a good relationship in terms of training, support, hardware exchanges, port visits, and exercises. So we hope that the visit by INS Sumedha will help further consolidate our security beyond the Gulf of Guinea”.