Maritime
Senate DeliberatesOn Maritime Security Bill
The Maritime Security Coordinating Agency (MASECA) bill passed through second reading on the floor of the Senate, despite fears it might overlap the functions of the Nigerian Navy.
The bill seeks to establish a maritime Security Agency which shall be charged with the responsibility of providing security and safety facilities for all participants in the Nigerian Maritime Industry.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Navy, Sen. Chris Anyanwu said new agencies should not be created for maritime security when many of such agencies were already in existence.
Anyanwu argued that creation of the new agency to be coordinated by the office of National Security Adviser (NSA) would be distractive as well as undermine the work of the Navy.
“ Currently there are about ten agencies involved in maritime security. We should not be creating new agencies when existing ones were not adequately funded.
“This agency seeks to duplicate existing agencies and compete for scarce resources.
“The NSA has enough work to do so, giving him the extra work of controlling the revenue generated by the agency will be distractive.
“As Senators, our work is to ensure our national institutions are well catered for.
Also opposing the bill, Sen. Shola Adeyeye ( Osun -ACN) said rather than creating new agencies, it was important to strengthen existing ones through amendments of relevant legislations.
“It’s not about creating a new agency, it’s about getting the job done. What is needed is to strengthen existing ones.
“ We can bring an amendment to further enhance the efficiency of the Navy. I pray we reject this bill as it is presently presented, ‘’ he maintained.
Leading the debate, Leader of the Senate, Sen. Victor Ndoma-Egba noted that it was in accordance with standard international practice to have dedicated agencies to address challenges of maritime insecurity.
“This bill is specifically fashioned to deal with issues of security and safety for all categories of users of the Nigerian Maritime Industry.
“It will provide for the full implementation of maritime security regimes as required by the international bodies as well as address other national maritime security and economic challenges.
Ndoma-Egba stressed that if passed into law, the agency would not only create jobs for the people, but would also generate N250billion as revenue for the government.
Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu argued that maritime security agencies complemented the naval forces in other parts of the world without any conflict of interest.
“We have security challenges around the country and any country that has these challenges needs to take appropriate actions to reduce the menace.
“ If other countries still have a functional navy alongside other security agencies, I believe we can as well do so without conflict, ‘’ he said.
The Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Maritime Command, AIG Yusuf Garba, has charged the officers and men of the command to wake up from their slumber and embrace the IGP’s directive on zero tolerance for corruption.
AIG Garba emphasised that the feat could be achieved through collaboration with sister agencies and members of the public.
A statement by the Police Public Relations Officer of the command, ASP Okoi Arikpo, stated that the police boss also charged the officers on the importance of being prudent and proactive in the line of duty.
He also charged officers and men to be neat while on duty, reminding them of the need to always be punctual on duty as absenteeism from duty resulting in any lapses will not be taken lightly.
“He reminded the officers of the resuming, 30 minutes before the actual time of resumption as it is in the Police Act and regulations.
Recall that the AIG, who recently took charge of the command, has always harped on the integrity of the force.
Customs Area Controller of Seme Border Command, Dr. Ben Aramalagu, has demonstrated his resolve to keep the pace at the foremost Nigeria’s border, raking in a total of N743.728 million as revenue in February 2025 alone.
Within the three weeks of resumption, Dr. Aramalagu made seizures worth N267.054 million (duty paid value), a feat that shows the command’s resolve to continue to deliver even under a new leadership.
The seizures comprise 444 parcels of cannabis sativa, 181 packs of tramadol, 600 bottles of codeine syrup (100ml), 240 kegs of Petroleum Motor Spirit (PMS).
Others are 1,809 bags of foreign parboiled rice (50kg each), 17 sacks of used shoes, 56 bales of used clothes, and 203 pieces of used tyres that were attempted to be brought into Nigeria through unapproved routes.
Speaking to newsmen while displaying the seizures, Aramalugu said the command’s emphasis will be on unapproved routes where smugglers attempt to bring in what he described as un-customs goods either to evade duty payment or illegally import things on the Federal Government’s import prohibited list.
Aramalagu said the customs under its current Comptroller General, Adewale Bashir Adeniyi, will not relent in meeting the Federal Government’s demand for more revenue in the non-oil sector, including customs duty collection.
He emphasised that the command will not relent in enforcing maximum collection of all revenue due to the Federal Government through duty collection and seizing contraband goods in line with relevant law establishing the customs and its functions.
In his words, “these seizures, which contravene relevant section of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2003 (NCSA 22) reaffirm our commitment to suppressing smuggling within the Seme Border”.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has uncovered a $1.4 million fraudul syndicate, led by Mr. Ikoro Mang Ifendu, who impersonated the agency’s officials to scam foreign companies, using fake regulatory documents.
The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, while addressing newsmen on Friday, disclosed that Ifendu, 52, from Abia State, was arrested on February 7, 2025, at Ogborn Hills, Aba area of the state, in a case of alleged fraud and obtaining huge funds by false pretence from unsuspecting foreigners across various countries, while posing as a staff of the agency.
She said, “He is a native of Amamba Village, Abiriba in Ohafia LGA, Abia State.
“His level of education is SSCE and deals in clothing materials. The suspect is in our custody and is cooperating with the investigation.
“This case was reported by Thani Almaeeni Trading Group, Abu Dhabi, UAE following their application to register Dry Fish (Seafood).
“Thani Almaeeni Trading Group, Abu Dhabi, UAE, and other companies from various countries fell victim to this fraud.
In a petition from Thani Almaeeni Trading Group, reported to NAFDAC of the possible impersonation of the fraudsters as NAFDAC’s officials, using the NAFDAC’s letterhead and name.
“The fraudsters, headed by Mr. Ikoro Mang Ifendu, have duped the company thousands of dollars and millions of naira.
“These fraudsters or syndicate operate in a three-pronged scheme involving the Buyer, Bank, and Lawyer.
“Initially, the buyer contacts foreign companies to purchase and import goods into Nigeria. Subsequently, they introduce these companies to any of these banks for payment.
“The bank then declares that due to the lack of NAFDAC approval, the foreign companies are unable to export to Nigeria. Afterward, a legal counsel is introduced to the companies, claiming that they can obtain NAFDAC Certificate through this lawyer.
“The lawyer then receives payments in stages and issues fraudulent receipts and counterfeit of NAFDAC certificates to the companies.”
Mrs. Adeyeye said the agency’s investigation revealed that the group operates 15 domiciliary and 5 local accounts in 7 Nigerian banks.
She noted that the account in one of the banks has a Bank Verification Number (BVN) that is being used by the 2 key members of the group, Ikoro Mang Ifendu and Rosemary Obosi.
“The exact number of the Accounts have not been established, because the suspect had deleted some of the Accounts and the alert messages.
“The tentative cumulative inflow from different victims into the Domiciliary Accounts in Nigeria is estimated to be over $950,000USD, while the sum of $450,000USD is the estimated inflow into the accounts held offshore in Cotonou, Benin Republic.
srl, for registration of products with NAFDAC; Tianyan Filter Cloth Co. Ltd, Gonghexin Road, Jingan District, Shanghai, China; Siam Canadian China Ltd., Frozen Onion Spices, Zhanjiang Guangdong, China.”
The DG continued: “After exhausting the link to falsification of NAFDAC regulated products, this case will be transferred to EFCC for further investigation.
“This is to expand the investigation to other areas that are not within the mandate of NAFDAC. The investigation will also invoke POCA on all the assets illegally acquired in the course of the fraudulent activities.”
Adeyeye disclosed that the regulatory body has strengthened the activities of Investigation and Enforcement and Federal Task Force by reconstituting and changing the architecture and increasing the number of Investigating Police Officers of the Police Squad and Mobile Police attached to the Agency.
“The Honourable Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare will soon inaugurate the reconstituted Federal Task Force and by extension the State Task Forces to compliment the activities of the Agency in the States,” she stated.
The NAFDAC boss urged the public not to transact business with any company that parades itself as a consulting firm for registration of products.\
By: Stories by Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos