Navy to Establish Base in Kebbi, Says River Niger Haven for Arms Smugglers, Criminals

The Nigerian Navy has concluded arrangements to establish a naval base in Yauri, Kebbi.

A delegation from the chief of the naval staff, Emmanuel Ogalla, unveiled the information during a courtesy visit on Governor Nasir Idris at Government House, Birnin Kebbi, on Thursday.

Leader of the delegation, Patrick Nwatu, stated that the visit was part of efforts to expand the navy’s maritime strategy.

This, he said, in addition to its statutory area of responsibility in the maritime domain in the offshore sea, and to support maritime security in the hinterland.

According to Mr Nwatu, the River Niger is a significant national asset that has brought Nigeria considerable goodwill by supporting agriculture and power generation, which also remains a vital source of livelihood for its citizens.

“Unfortunately, with the insurgency and conflicts in Nigeria, that same River Niger, in spite of its good potentials, is being utilised by some criminal elements to escalate the level of insecurity in our country.

“We have noticed that the River Niger has been a convergence of criminals and a route for smuggling of arms and other elements that are detrimental to our interests.

“So, in addition to the base we have in Niger on the side of the river, the Nigerian Navy found it necessary to expand to establish a base in Kebbi, so that we can have complete presence within the Niger area,” he said.

The team leader expressed optimism that with the support of the governor and people of Kebbi, the move would pave the way for improved security architecture of the country, especially with regard to safety in the North-West

The governor described the idea as a very good and holistic development in view of the security challenges bedeviling the southern part of Kebbi.

“Kebbi is very strategic, because we share borders with Niger and the Benin Republics, and with the incursion of Lakurawa, we feel we need additional security to man the River as we only have marine police and they are not many,” he noted.

The governor recalled that the Benin Republic used to be one of the peaceful countries in Africa.

“However, the country is also facing challenges of security, not to mention the Niger Republic, and Kebbi shares a border with the two countries,” Mr Idris noted.

He assured the delegation that the state government would do everything possible to create an environment that would enable them to operate effectively.

The governor said that a temporary accommodation would be provided for the take-off, pending the construction of their permanent structure.

(NAN)