The National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, has said that the Nigerian government discovered the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) as a key route for arms, drugs and human trafficking into the country.
Ribadu, who made this known in a statement issued on Tuesday during a two-day seminar titled “Climate Change and the Changing Dynamics of Arms Proliferation and Insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea: Nigeria in Perspective,” held in Abuja.
During the seminar organised by the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) in collaboration with the Global Network for Human Development, Ribadu who was represented by Ibrahim Babani, Director of External Affairs at the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), said that the Nigerian government is investigating the GoG.
The NSA said the GoG is rich in natural resources and mineral deposits, with an estimated 24 billion barrels of crude oil reserves, contributing approximately five million barrels daily to the global oil market, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.
According to him, the region encompasses 16 countries, including Nigeria, along its roughly 6,000 kilometers of coastline, making it a vital maritime gateway between Africa and the rest of the world.
He however said the lucrative nature of the GoG attracts criminal elements pursuing various illegal activities, including drug trafficking, human trafficking, oil theft, kidnapping and hostage-taking of ship crews, piracy, and smuggling.
Ribadu noted that among these crimes is the smuggling of small arms and light weapons by international crime syndicates.
He emphasised the need for further investigation into the GoG as a major route for arms trafficking, particularly in light of the connections between climate change, armed violence, and the proliferation of arms within the region.
The NSA stated that small arms and light weapons (SALW) are both a root cause and enabler of global insecurity.
He said that the availability of these weapons in the hands of non-state actors and organised crime syndicates poses significant challenges for affected countries.
Ribadu pointed out that in 2023, 14 reported kidnappings of crew members and 75 percent of crew members held hostage occurred in the GoG, underscoring its dangerous reputation for seafarers.