Nigeria has secured fresh regional backing to operationalise a Combined Maritime Task Force aimed at tightening security across the Gulf of Guinea, following a high-level naval meeting in West Africa.
The commitment was reached at the fifth Sub-Committee meeting of Chiefs of the Naval Staff of the ECOWAS held in Accra, Ghana, from February 16 to 20.
At the meeting, Nigeria secured expressions of interest from Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Liberia and Sierra Leone to jointly operationalise the force, which is scheduled for inauguration in Lagos between May 31 and June 1.
Leading Nigeria’s delegation, Chief of the Naval Staff, Idi Abbas, joined regional naval leaders to review ongoing maritime security efforts and agree on steps to fast-track the task force’s deployment.
To demonstrate readiness, the Nigerian Navy has already committed three ships, a helicopter, eight operational vehicles, and office facilities in Lagos to support the take-off of the task force.
Speaking at the session, ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Abdel‑Fatau Musah, stressed the need for stronger regional cooperation to combat terrorism, drug trafficking, illegal fishing and other transnational crimes. He also urged closer coordination with landlocked member states facing organised criminal networks.
Participants reviewed progress under the ECOWAS Integrated Maritime Strategy, including coordinated patrols across designated maritime zones. Nigeria’s Falcon Eye maritime surveillance system was highlighted as a key tool in monitoring and reducing crime in the Gulf of Guinea.
Representatives of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and regional maritime coordination centres also attended the meeting.
The Combined Maritime Task Force is expected to function as a rapid-response regional naval unit, drawing intelligence from maritime coordination centres operating under the Yaoundé security framework to counter evolving threats in West African waters.