The Nigerian Navy has warned that the uncontrolled use of unmanned vessels for maritime surveillance could create serious security challenges for Nigeria’s territorial waters and wider maritime domain.
The Navy called for the establishment of a clear legal and regulatory framework to govern the deployment and operation of such vessels, stressing that stronger coordination among maritime security agencies is also necessary.
Speaking at the 2026 Lagos International Maritime Week, Rear Admiral Daniel Atapa of the Nigerian Navy Hydrographic Department said the country needs to harmonise its different maritime security structures under a coordinated command system to effectively address emerging threats.
Atapa explained that several government agencies, including the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), the Nigerian Navy and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), operate maritime domain awareness equipment and systems.
However, he said the absence of a common regulatory framework and inter-agency rivalry had made it difficult to properly coordinate these assets and ensure effective information sharing.
“There are Maritime Domain Awareness assets with NIMASA, Navy, NPA and the rest. To the extent that there is no regulation or codified framework mandating their use or defining their modus operandi, each agency is at liberty to operate with what it has.
Also, because of inter-agency rivalry which is silent and which we sometimes do not want to admit exists it becomes difficult to harmonise these Maritime Domain Awareness assets. So, we continue to operate the way we do until there is a regulation that brings everybody together and says, ‘Come together and operate this way.’
“We still make do with what we have. But once there is a regulation, it will provide the framework for harmonising these assets and ensuring better coordination among the agencies.
“On the presence of foreign vessels and navies in the Gulf of Benin, we need to understand that the Gulf is an open sea line of communication.
Most of these foreign navies are from countries with significant shipping activities in the region.
“On the unregulated use of unmanned vessels, as I recommended as part of my prescriptions for addressing the issue, there is currently no regulation, and so everybody operates and does what they deem appropriate’’.
Atapa stressed that regulation would provide a common operating structure for agencies involved in maritime surveillance and security, allowing them to work more effectively rather than operating independently.
He also addressed concerns about the presence of foreign vessels and naval forces in the Gulf of Benin, noting that the area serves as an open sea line of communication and is used by countries with substantial shipping interests in the region.
Source: Nigerian Navy / Lagos International Maritime Week
