From the drug and maritime industry

A recent media report claimed that some foreign companies were on the verge of blacklisting Nigeria and barring it from receiving shipping services due to the incessant arrests of vessels and detention of crew members for drug-related offences. As expected, maritime industry observers are not amused by this development, which they see as a threat to the maritime sector and the economy if left unchecked.

The Maritime Security Providers Association of Nigeria (MASPAN) has raised the alarm that hundreds of foreign seafarers are being held in prisons across Nigeria or are being prosecuted for offences they know nothing about.

According to MASPAN President Emmanuel Maiguwa, drug traffickers have discovered that ships are the only way to transport large quantities of drugs and other narcotics around the world. As a result, these ships are often loaded with drugs without the crew knowing.

Maiguwa warned that unless this trend is urgently addressed, more ships will avoid Nigeria. For those who do decide to sail to the country, drug-related insurance on such ships will be far more expensive than the war risk insurance that Nigeria currently struggles with.

It is an established fact that 90 percent of international trade is done via sea using ships, and Nigeria could earn over $9.1 billion annually from cargo, according to estimates by the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC).

The commercial shipping sector has long struggled with illegal drug trafficking, despite efforts to curb the illegal trade, including a death penalty proposal by the National Assembly.

This newspaper recalls that in 2023, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in collaboration with the National Institute for Security Studies, published the report Organised Crime in Nigeria: A Threat Assessment, which details how transnational organised crime groups operating in Nigeria and hubs in several countries have developed and grown over the past decades.

According to the report, Nigeria is a base, transit and destination country for organised crime, facilitated by its porous borders and strategic location along global shipping routes.

It is important to note that organized criminal gangs attack merchant ships by hiding drugs on board, in the cargo, or by attaching containers full of drugs to the underwater hull, despite efforts by governments and international organizations to prevent this.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has convicted 2,224 persons, comprising 1,985 men and 239 women, following the arrest of 8,561 drug traffickers between January and August 2023.

This article considers that organized crime is one of the major causes of insecurity in Nigeria, which negatively impacts stability, democratic governance and the rule of law. Illicit drug trafficking through maritime channels poses a serious threat not only in terms of drug proliferation but also through its links to organized crime, terrorism and human trafficking.

To address these challenges, a coordinated international response is needed, but the bulk of the response currently stops at the judiciary. We also recall that in early March this year, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) said that corruption is widespread in the Nigerian judiciary.

Melissa Omene, a representative of UNODC, commented on a 2019 survey conducted by UNODC and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The survey found that 20 percent of people who interacted with the Nigerian judiciary were asked to pay a bribe.

On this page we have repeatedly advocated for a review of the country’s legal system, particularly with regard to handling cases as carefully and as early as possible, in accordance with our Constitution, in order to promote the rule of law.

Unfortunately, the Nigerian judiciary in the 21st century is not up to scrutiny in the area of ​​speedy and timely disposal of cases. The resulting delays have in many cases led to miscarriages of justice.

Under maritime law, the ship and its crew are liable if drugs are found on the ship. However, common sense is expected to prevail in dealing with such cases when they arise, with cases of arrest and detention of the ship being dealt with expeditiously, so that the ship can continue to do business with its crew while the process is ongoing. Also, ship owners would be wise to respect the law and educate their crew against handing over their ships to criminals for personal gain.

We urge the Nigerian Police, Customs, Immigration, National Drug Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Blue Economy to intensify their work in fulfilling their mandate and resolve the legal aspects of this issue before it leads to conflict.

Furthermore, we believe that the challenge of drug trafficking must be treated with the seriousness it deserves. In this sense, we call on the federal government to work with neighbouring countries in the Sahel region and the international community to take urgent, coordinated and comprehensive action to dismantle drug trafficking networks. This must be done urgently.