Nigeria, Benin to begin patrol in Gulf of Guinea
Nigeria and Benin will on Monday begin patrolling the coast of both countries following a recent upsurge in pirate attacks in the Gulf of Guinea off their coast.
The move comes following a meeting in Abuja on Thursday between President Goodluck Jonathan and his Beninese counterpart Boni Yayi where they vowed to fight against piracy, cross-border banditry, and terrorism.
Jonathan said as criminals don't respect political boundaries in their nefarious activities, they would cooperate with one another to find lasting solutions to the problems they pose.
According to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), the two countries have reported 22 piracy incidents so far this year, including two in recent days.
But Cyrus Moody, a manager at IMB, told the Associated Press that the attacks were definitely more than they are showing in their stats.
Moody urged vessels to report more when incidents happen, saying this was the only way for a realistic picture of the crisis.
Analysts say West African pirates may have been encouraged by the impact of their Somali counterparts, but that there are also important differences, as their focus tends to be on robbery rather than seizing vessels.
They say those from Nigeria have also been more willing to use violence, beating crew members with rifle butts and electric cables and shooting and stabbing those who get in the way, while pirates from Benin have tended to steal oil cargo and then release the ship. Tweet
