The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, has declared that no fewer than 4,606 suspects have been arrested for various maritime crimes between year 2015 and 2024.
He made this statement on Friday while presenting the third distinguished personality lecture at Institute for Peace and Strategic Studies (IPSS), University of Ibadan.
While presenting the paper titled “Role of the Nigerian Navy in Combating Maritime Crimes for Enhanced Blue Economy in Nigeria”, he called for the establishment of special courts where suspects who committed maritime crimes would be prosecuted.
He added that the suspects were arrested in the communities within the riverine areas with 250 vessels sized and handed over to prosecuting agencies.
The Chief of Naval Staff noted that only 82 have been successfully prosecuted, with 168 still in Navy custody.