Gulf of Guinea and Security Challenges: The Nigerian Experience

Gulf of Guinea and Security Challenges: The Nigerian Experience.

ABSTRACT

Piracy and insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea maritime environment have been of serious concern to member states as well as foreign investors. The abundant mineral resources most especially hydrocarbon has attracted major multi-national oil firms as well other investors to the oil-rich region.

However, the region is battered by sophisticated pirate groups among other sea criminals. Generally, the study was focused on Nigerian experience amidst security challenges in the Gulf of Guinea.

Thus, the study is poised to ascertain whether piracy, small arms running as well as maritime insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea undermine Nigeria’s economic and security development. The study examined extant literature bothering on the subject of discourse.

Similarly, Marxist Political Economy approach was adopted to explain the relative variables. Hence, the study employed a qualitative method of data collection and invariably qualitative descriptive method of data analysis.

A single case ex-post facto research design was used to demonstrate the causality in the relationship between the variables under study. Furthermore, the study noted that piracy; maritime insecurity among other related crimes have adversely undermined the national security and economic development.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page – – – – – – – – – – i
Approval Page- – – – – – – – – – ii
Dedication – – – – – – – – – – iii
Acknowledgement – – – – – – – – – iv
Table of Content – – – – – – – – – v
List of Table – – – – – – – – – – vi
List of Figures – – – – – – – – – – vii
Abbreviations – – – – – – – – – – viii
Abstract – – – – – – – – – – ix

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study – – – – – – – – 1
1.2 Statement of the Problem – – – – – – – – 2
1.3 Objectives of Study – – – – – – – – 4
1.4 Significance of the Study – – – – – – – – 5

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Literature Review – – – – – – – – – 6

CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY
3.1 Theoretical Framework – – – – – – – – 37
3.2 Hypotheses – – – – – – – – – 40
3.3 Research Design – – – – – – – – – 40
3.4 Method of Data Collection – – – – – – – 42
3.5 Method of Data Analysis – – – – – – – – 43
3.6 Logical Data Framework – – – – – – – – 44

CHAPTER FOUR: PIRACY IN GULF OF GUINEA AND MARITIME
SECURITY IN NIGERIA
4.1 Piracy and Hijacking of Ships in the Gulf of Guinea – – – – 47
4.2 Sea Robbery and Drug Trafficking in Nigerian Maritime Environment – – 53
4.3 Hostility and Kidnapping within Nigeria Territory Waters – – – 62

CHAPTER FIVE: SMALL ARM RUNNING IN GULF OF GUINEA AND
SECURITY IN NIGERIA
5.1 Influx of Small Arms in the Gulf of Guinea – – – – – 67
5.2 Wide Spread use of Small Arms in Piratical Activities in the Region – – 72
5.3 Circulation of Small Arms into various part of Nigeria – – – – 77

CHAPTER SIX: INSECURITY IN GULF OF GUINEA AND INVESTMENT IN
NIGERIA
6.1 Poor Security and Inadequate Surveillance Facilities in the Region – – 84
6.2 Weak trans-border Cooperation amongst States in Gulf of Guinea – – 86
6.3 Intensified Crime Level around Exclusive Zone in the Region – – – 90

CHAPTER SEVEN: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
7.1 Summary – – – – – – – – – – 100
7.2 Conclusion – – – – – – – – – 102
7.3 Recommendations- – – – – – – – – 103
Bibliography – – – – – – – – – 106
Appendixes – – – – – – – – – 115

INTRODUCTION

Gulf of Guinea (GG) region is located at the South Atlantic Ocean, it encompasses a dozen African nations about 23 countries including: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo (RDC), Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.

The 8,200 km of region is wide plane level with high ground culminating in Mount Cameroon (4,095 m). As a high ground, it constitutes a line of separation between the coastal and interior plane.

Gulf of Guinea stretches some fifty-three hundred miles along Africa’s West Coast; eighteen coastal and eight landlocked states constitute the region. The two hundred nautical miles Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) combine to make up a maritime domain-containing numerous boundaries and over one million square nautical miles of open sea.

Numerous tributaries flow into the Gulf, and some, like the River Niger, are navigable for commercial shipping inland. There are over 200 ports serving deep draft vessels, the Gulf of Guinea has no maritime chokepoint.

The northern section of the GG is composed of semi-arid terrain (Sahel), a transitional zone between the Sahara desert and the savannahs. Equatorial forest forms a third belt between the savannah and the coast (Shambhavi, 2005).

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StudentsandScholarship Team.