A Bill for an Act for the Suppression of Piracy and Punishment for the Offence of Piracy and other Matters Connected, 2017 scaled second reading at the Senate on Wednesday.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Nelson Effiong (APC-Akwa Ibom), passed first reading on Jan. 20, 2016.
Leading debate on the bill in Abuja, Effiong expressed concern over the rise in sea piracy on the country’s waterways.
He said that despicable activities were being carried out by pirates through sea routes and insisted that Nigeria, as an import economy must do everything to guarantee safe arrival of goods into the country.
“It is important that a law be put in place to discourage, suppress and punish those who engage in piracy.
“At present, the offence of sea piracy is treated in our criminal Code Act. The Act makes general provision on robbery.
“Robbery at sea should be isolated and treated separately as it is being done in other parts of the world, because victims of such robbery may be citizens of other countries
“The crime often times constitutes a violation of international laws by forcefully taking ship away,’’ he said.
The lawmaker urged his colleagues to support the passage of the bill, adding that sea piracy had grown into a worrisome economic crime that needed to be curtailed.
Contributing, Sen. Murtala Nyako (APC-Adamawa) emphasised the need to domesticate international laws on piracy to help tackle the problem which had continued to affect economic activities and security.
He expressed concern that while the issue of piracy was on the decrease in other countries, it was on the rise in Nigeria.
Nyako explained that it was difficult to prosecute pirates because laws in the country did not apply to the crime.
Sen. Shehu Sani commended the sponsor of the bill for a detailed lead debate on the crime.
He said if not nipped in the bud, piracy would escalate to an uncontrollable level that would cause serious havoc to the economy.
“Sea Piracy is a global problem; it affects the economy and security of nations and it is rising steadily in Africa.
“It leads to adoption of hostages and bunkering, so, I support the passage of the bill.
“However, there should be wide consultation on the bill because it is a highly technical issue that requires professional assistance to ensure international laws are adhered to,’’ he said.
The Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, said piracy had been an issue of concern to the country, particularly those living in coastal regions.
While supporting the passage of the bill, Akpabio said “we witness it on an hourly basis, so this bill couldn’t have come at a better time than now as it is giving us a bad name.
“Once we see this bill through, we will be able to marry our intention with other countries in the fight against piracy.’’
He urged other lawmakers to support the bill to ensure the protection of lives and property as well as ensure free trade.
Sen. Adamu Abdullahi (APC-Nasarawa) said that unless something urgent was done to curtail the trend it could get out of hand.
He said that in view of the fact that Nigeria had a long coast, it was important it took the issue of piracy seriously.
Abdullahi said “we all need to support this bill for the right mechanism to be put in place.’’
In his remarks, the Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided at the plenary, said that sea piracy had done a lot of damage to the country.
He said it was an embarrassment to the country and should be tackled as soon as possible.
“Goods coming from abroad are always affected by the activities of these pirates.
“ In the past, the parliament had responded to this kind of call by making separate legislations on crimes that were embarrassment to us as a country.
“These crimes are terrorism, obtaining money by false pretences and other of such offences which are already in our Criminal Code and Penal Code.
“We removed some of these crimes and placed them under special legislations in order to deal with them aggressively.
“This, too, has come as part of issues we need to give consideration to, under separate legislation,’’ Ekweremadu said.
He said that Nigeria should take advantage of the present technological advancement to monitor its maritime environment and ensure prompt response when pirates attacked.
He said that the bill would help to apprehend pirates and prosecute them accordingly.
The bill was referred to the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, and to its counterpart on Maritime, with a four-week deadline to complete work on it. (NAN)
CJM/MO/OPI