SPOMO Act will end piracy, says Jamoh

Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh, has said that the Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences (SPOMO) Act is aiding Nigeria’s determination to end piracy and sea robbery, especially in the Gulf of Guinea.

Jamoh said the agency has made good progress in the implementation of the Act, which was signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019.

The NIMASA DG disclosed this at the maiden edition of the Nigerian Admiralty Law Colloquium organised in Lagos by the Agency, in collaboration with the National Judicial Institute (NJI).

Jamoh disclosed that the agency has also secured some convictions with more judgments expected next month. He said the prosecutions and convictions had helped to improve Nigeria’s image in the international community.

Jamoh said the admiralty law conference, in its 10th edition this year, had achieved milestones in the continued effort to achieve better maritime law administration. He said the meeting was renamed this year to reflect current challenges and widen the scope of participation.

The NIMASA Director-General also spoke on the adjustment in the name of the maritime law session, saying it was prompted by the need to bring on board a wider range of stakeholders, including Supreme Court justices.

“From next year, Supreme Court justices and more lawyers would be included in the continuous attempt to fine-tune the processes and procedures of justice administration in maritime issues,” Jamoh stated.

The President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, lauded NIMASA as a key organ of economic development, saying the admiralty law conferences introduced by the Agency are helping to streamline the application of the antipiracy law.