The Nigeria Navy at the weekend warned persons conducting illegal activities within the country’s territorial waters, particularly oil thieves to steer clear, saying it will not hesitate to make them bear the pains of naval power.
The new Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Ilesanmi Alade, who issued the warning, said the Nigerian Navy would not relent in the pursuit of the presidential mandate and would continue to ensure safe haven for legitimate maritime business.
Speaking shortly after taking over command of the Western Naval Command in Lagos, he said: “As you all know, the main focus is to support the Chief of Naval Staff’s vision and there is a mandate on ground by the in-chief and we are going to pursue that mandate and anyone caught committing illegalities within our waters would be handled according to the law of the land,” he said.
Admiral Alade expressed the readiness of the force to fight against oil theft and piracy within the Western Naval Command area of responsibility.
Alade, who is the command’s 34th Flag Officer Commanding, took over the command’s leadership from Rear Admiral Ibok Ete Ibas, who commanded the unit for one year.
Copyright Ships & Ports Ltd. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit given to www.shipsandports.com.ng as the source.
