The chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Lamorde, today, Wednesday July 16, 2014 listed delay in the determination of cases in court as the greatest challenge in protecting the nation’s sea-based economic assets and enforcing maritime security in the country.
Lamorde stated this when he hosted a five-man team from the United States Africa Command, AFRICOM, who were in the Commission to discuss issues of operational enforcement of existing Maritime laws in Nigeria as part of the country’s entry into the African Maritime Law Enforcement Partnership, AMLEP.
Lamorde stated that the importance of securing the Nigerian waterways could not be overemphasized as most of the illegal oil bunkering in Nigeria happens in the nation’s territorial waters.
Commander Michelle Bas of AFRICOM’s Legal Engagement Division, who led the delegation, said they were in the EFCC to understand the Commission’s role in the operational chain. “Our interest with the EFCC is to understand what happens after the operational forces apprehend suspects of maritime crimes and how the criminal justice system operates, ” she said.
Hycenth Edozie, who is head of EFCC operations in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, made a presentation on the activities of the Commission in maritime sphere, covering all the littoral states in Nigeria. He highlighted the relationships that exist between the Commission and other law enforcement organisations, especially the Nigerian Navy in enforcing maritime security.
According to him, most arrests at sea are made by the Navy as the Commission currently lacks the capacity to do so. Other law enforcement organisations also effect arrests and transfer suspects to the Commission for further investigation and prosecution.
He disclosed that the Commission has received several cases from Nigeria Navy, the Joint Task Force, the Nigeria Army, the Department of State Service and the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency.
He announced that the Commission has secured 71 convictions in illegal oil bunkering. A breakdown of the figures, according to Edozie, shows that 41 Nigerians have been convicted alongside 10 Ghanaians, 13 Philippines and three Indians.
He, however lamented that part of the challenges the Commission face in dealing with major illegal oil bunkering include logistics, preservation of exhibits, difficulty in evacuation of products, difficulty in the analysis of samples to fast-track prosecution and the delay in transferring suspects from sister agencies.
As a way of eradicating some of these challenges, Lamorde disclosed that a workshop is scheduled for the EFCC Academy, which will provide a platform for interface among the different law enforcement organisations.
Other members of the five-man team are Lieutenant Commander Sean Hays, Maritime Affairs officer, Office of Security Cooperation; Commander Rene Laverde, Naval attaché, US Embassy Abuja, Lieutenant Commander Greg Versaw, AFRICOM Operation Law Division and Du D. Tran, INL Director, US Embassy.
The AMLEP programme enables African partners to work directly with US Naval Forces in an operational environment in the partner’s own home waters.
Media & Publicity
16th July, 2014
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