Akpan Umoh
The Commissioner of Police in Akwa Ibom, CP Andrew Amiengheme, has promsed to collaborate with other security agencies operating in the state to ensure effective policing of waterways in Akwa Ibom.
Amiengheme said this when he played host to the Commandant and Course 4 Naval Warfare participants of the Naval War College Nigeria (NWCN) who were in the Command as part of their operational visit to Akwa Ibom on Tuesday.
The CP in his presentation on the above theme to the course participants noted that Post COVID-19 era would come with a lot of hardships and economic challenges.
“The realities is that it will undermine the internal and international existence of nations which will lead to increase in piracy and armed robbery in the maritime domain, hence, requiring concerted collaborative efforts in tackling the menaces,” he said
The commissioner of police identified areas of collaboration to include; intellegence gatthering, joint patrol and information sharing to check piracy and other coastal criminalities.
He assured the Navy High Command and Course participants of the Command’s readiness to partner the Nigerian Navy in eradicating piracy and armed robbery in the maritime domain of the State.
The theme of the visit is “Post COVID-19 Collaboration towards tackling piracy and Armed Robbery at Sea”.
The theme was predicated on the realism that the Covid-19 pandemic has engendered a ‘new normal’ in every aspect of human existence, including the way maritime security and law enforcement agencies are expected to conduct operations in the maritime domain.