Not less than 10 Nigerian Navy warships have gone back to base after a military exercise to defeat criminals in the nation’s waters and in the Gulf of Guinea, –GoG.
The warships are Nigeria Navy Ship–NNS– Sagbama, NNS Nwamba, NNS Ibeno, NNS Dorina, NNS Gongola, NNS Ikene, NNS Badagry, NNS Oji, NNS Ose and NNS Okpoku respectively.
Addressing journalists after the warships docked in Onne, Rivers, the Flag Officer Commanding Central Naval Command, CNC, Rear Admiral Umar Chugali had said that the operation code-named ‘Exercise Sea Guardian’ was an enormous success.
Chugali had said that troops got involved in the anti-crude oil theft operation, seizures of vessels, fleet manoeuvres, man overboard and gunnex. Other activities had also included communications and emergency drills such as firefighting, steering gear breakdown, machinery failure, abandon and man, and cheer ship.
In Chungali’s words:
“The four-days exercise was used to earmark our readiness in fighting all forms of maritime crimes within the Nigerian maritime environment and GoG.”
Chugali had also said that apart from the warships, two attack helicopters and a detachment of the Navy’s Special Boat Service, comparable to the United States Navy Seals, had joined in the exercise.
Rear Admiral Olusola Oluwagbire, the Flag Officer Commanding ENC, had remarked that the exercise was done by troops from the eastern and central naval commands situated in both Calabar and Yenagoa, respectively.
According to Oluwagbire, the exercise was part of the actionable steps taken by the Nigeria Navy to curb and end crude oil theft, sea robbery as well as sea piracy and other vices in Nigeria’s waters.
