BY Johnbosco Agbakwuru

Calabar— Governor Liyel Imoke of Cross River State has raised alarm over the high rate of militancy and piracy on the waterways between Nigeria and Cameroon since the ceding of Bakassi to  Cameroon.

The Governor, who raised the concern when he received the Flag Officer Commanding, Eastern Naval Command,  Rear Admiral Usman Jibrin, who visited him in Calabar, also called on the Nigerian government to increase budgetary allocation to the Nigerian Navy to enable it procure additional boats to secure the nation’s territorial waters.

He called for the setting up of a joint military patrol  to ensure safety of lives and property as well as the image of the country.

Governor Imoke said Calabar,  which is the headquarters of the Eastern Naval Command was an integral part of the Navy because it also harbours the headquarters of NNS Victory.

He explained that the state had benefited tremendously from the Navy with the location of its hospital and numerous schools in the state.

He also lauded the Navy for living up to its corporate social responsibility by sinking a borehole in Akpabuyo Local Government Area as part of activities marking its 55th anniversary celebration, adding that its assistance to the state will always be cherished.