ABUJA (Sundiata Post) – The Nigerian Navy has finally commenced the deployment of its personnel and other logistics to Lake Chad Basin Naval post, to effectively counter the activities of Boko Haram terrorists and other criminal elements in the maritime area.
The Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, disclosed this on Monday during the inauguration of the 2016, CNS Strategic Directive 2, at the Naval Headquarters in Abuja.
Ibas revealed that the “movement of the advance party to protect Nigeria’s territorial interest on the Lake, bordering Nigeria’s and countries in the Sahel region commenced last month”.
“And it will interest you to know that the NN has commence deployment to Lake Chad Basin to help fight maritime crime related issues arising around its environs. This signals the presence of the NN that area,” he said.
According the CNS, the establishment of the maritime outpost ushers in the presence of the Navy in the region, not only because of counter-terrorism operations, but to also safeguard Nigeria’s maritime domain.
He noted that the Nigerian Navy has the responsibility to ensure the protection and safety of the maritime.
He said: “The participation of special boat services to counter insurgency operations, and to make sure that the Boko-Haram terrorist are ramped out of that place.
“Also it will strategically improve economic values as well. With all this, we ensure that the duties of the Nigerian Navy will further be enhance.”
On the 2016 CNS Strategic Directive-2, Ibas said the aim was to consolidate the achievement of the 2015 vision of repositioning the Navy as encapsulated in the 2015 operational directive.
According to him, “the directive is to sustain efficient and effective operational presence at sea to create a secured maritime environment for national prosperity.
“To build on Nigerian Navy manpower development to achieve optimal professional capabilities of personnel and consolidate on reinvigorated Planned Maintenance System, for enhanced operational readiness, among others.”
President Muhammadu Buhari had on March 22 approved the establishment of a naval command post in the Lake Chad region in a bid to strengthen the fight against insurgency in the North-East.
This was also confirmed by the Director of Information (DINFO), Nigerian Navy, Commodore Christian Ezekobe, who had explained that the naval post, was to secure the territorial integrity of Nigeria around the region and protect the surrounding Islands.
Ezekobe had however, noted that the take-off of the Post was dependent on when the newly created 8 Division of the Nigerian Army, comes into force.
He explained that the surrounding land area needs to be well secured by the Army before Navy would move in to maintain security around the territorial waters and islands.
“This is being set up with a view to checkmating the illegal entry of the Boko Haram terrorists through the Lake Chad and surrounding boundary area. This is also to ensure the security and territorial integrity of the islands within Lake Chad.
“They are, however, going to wait until the Army establishes the 8 Division to cover the area. This is because the territory and surrounding area need to be secured and protected since we are mostly going to be on water,” he said.
The DINFO was then emphatic that the military post was solely a Nigerian arrangement and not under the LCBC and MNJTF agreement.
