President Muhammadu Buhari has given his assent to the Suppression of Piracy and other Maritime Offences Bill, 2019, in a move aimed at improving security on the country’s territorial waters and exclusive economic zone.

The presidential assent, dated June 24, 2019, followed the passage of the bill by the Senate and the House of Representatives on April 9, 2019, and April 30, 2019, respectively.



The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency facilitated the drafting of the bill in 2012, in collaboration with the International Maritime Organisation.

In addition to addressing maritime insecurity, the new law fulfils the international requirement for a standalone legislation on piracy, as against the approach of using the Maritime Operations Coordinating Board Amendment Bill to criminalise piracy.

NIMASA said with the Act, Nigeria had officially become the first country in the West and Central African sub-regions to promulgate a separate law against piracy, an important international requirement set by the IMO as part of the measures to guarantee secure global shipping.

A statement quoted the Director General of NIMASA, Dr Dakuku Peterside, as saying that the move was a step in the right direction.

He said, “This is not just a victory for NIMASA, but also for all the stakeholders in the Nigerian maritime community. We are determined to continue to deliver on our promise to investors and the international community to ensure an increasingly safer and more secure environment for profitable maritime business.”

Some of the provisions of the Act include a distinct definition of piracy and other maritime offences/unlawful acts; punishment upon conviction for maritime crimes; restitution to owners of violated maritime assets or forfeiture of proceeds of maritime crime to the Federal Government; and establishment of a Piracy and Maritime Offences Fund with prescribed sources of funding that will be utilised in the implementation of the Act.

The new law also vests exclusive jurisdiction for the determination of matters under the Act in the Federal High Court. It empowers relevant authorities mentioned under the Act to seize vessels or aircraft used for maritime crimes anywhere in Nigeria and in international waters or in the jurisdiction of any country where the ship is reasonably believed to be a pirate-controlled ship or aircraft.

Nigeria topped the piracy chart in 2018 with 31 incidents.

SOURCE: https://punchng.com/buhari-signs-anti-piracy-bill-into-law/