The Nigerian and French navies have launched a six-day joint maritime exercise to combat piracy, illegal fishing, oil bunkering and other crimes in the Gulf of Guinea. Tagged Grand African NEMO 2026, the exercise was inaugurated by Chief of the Naval Staff Idi Abbas in Onne, Rivers State, on Thursday.
The Nigerian Navy has deployed five warships, two helicopters, two drones and personnel from its Special Boat Service, alongside forces from its three operational commands and allied partners. Abbas, represented by the Flag Officer Commanding, Navy Training Command, Ebiobowei Zipele, said the exercise would strengthen maritime surveillance, safeguard freedom of navigation and enhance the navy’s capacity to protect Nigeria’s territorial waters and Exclusive Economic Zone.
The drills will target piracy and armed robbery at sea, human trafficking, illegal oil bunkering, illicit fishing, and the trafficking of weapons and narcotics. Abbas said evolving maritime threats made sustained cooperation among regional navies essential, adding that the exercise had become a major annual security initiative in the Gulf of Guinea since its inception in 2018.
Flag Officer Commanding, Central Naval Command, Suleiman Ibrahim, said the exercise would build on the gains of Exercise Fleet Sentinel, conducted six months ago, and the ongoing Operation Delta Sentinel. The exercise is expected to strengthen regional maritime cooperation under the Yaoundé maritime security architecture while supporting Nigeria’s maritime security and blue economy ambitions.