It has been reported that a Nigerian tanker was attacked off the coast of Nigeria's commercial capital, Lagos, last Thursday. Pirates attempted to board and rob the ship which was stationed in the Gulf of Guinea. The International Maritime Bureau reported the the pirate attack occurred approximately 50 nautical miles off the coast of Lagos. As the chemical tanker attempted to escape the approaching suspicious boat, the pirates opened fire. The pirates then tried to board the boat using a grappling hook but, after an hour of chasing the boat, retreated. This attack comes in combination with a report by Greek authorities that two merchant navy officers who were kidnapped off of a Greek-managed ship in January by Nigeria pirates were released last Friday.
According to the bureau, there has been a rise in pirate attacks in Nigeria over the past few years.
These recent pirate attacks show the inadequacy or incapabilities of the Nigeria government. Although Nigeria has a reasonably strong military, which has no problems using force in issues during recent election issues, it lacks the ability to handle threats from pirates who lack the resources that the government has. It shows flaws in the distribution or communication of power and a maldistributed military. The government should be taking extra precautions in order to repress the pirates in and around the coast of Nigeria so as to advance it's image in the global community.
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