Birnin Kebbi: In a strategic move to fortify inland waterway security, the Nigerian Navy is establishing a new base in Yauri, Kebbi State—marking its first-ever presence in the region.
With River Niger increasingly exploited by criminal networks, this deployment aims to curb arms smuggling and bolster safety across Northwestern Nigeria.
A delegation from the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Adm. Emmanuel Ogalla, unveiled the information during a courtesy visit on Gov. Nasir Idris at Government House, Birnin Kebbi on Thursday.
Leader of the delegation, Rear Adm. Patrick Nwatu, said the visit was part of efforts to expand the maritime strategy of the Nigerian Navy.
This, he said, in addition to its statutory area of responsibility in the maritime domain in the offshore sea, and to support maritime security in the hinterland.
According to Nwatu, the River Niger is a tremendous national asset that has given Nigeria a lot of goodwill by supporting agriculture and power generation, which also remains a source of livelihood to the citizens.
“Unfortunately, with the insurgency and conflicts in Nigeria, that same River Niger, despite its good potential, is being utilised by some criminal elements to escalate the level of insecurity in our country.
“We have noticed that the River Niger has been a convergence of criminals and a route for smuggling of arms and other elements that are detrimental to our interests.
“So, in addition to the base we have in Niger on the side of the river, the Nigerian Navy found it necessary to expand to establish a base in Kebbi, so that we can have complete presence within the Niger area,” he said.
The team leader expressed optimism that with the support of the governor and people of Kebbi, the move would pave the way for improved security architecture of the country, especially about safety in the Northwest.
In his remarks, Gov. Idris described the idea as an excellent and holistic development given the security challenges bedevilling the Southern part of Kebbi.
He, however, appreciated God Almighty for His guidance and support that culminated in the successes being recorded against the bandits terrorising the area.
“We have never had a naval base in Kebbi, we are grateful, the Chief of the Naval Staff finds it worthy to establish a naval base in Yauri. You know, in Yauri we have the River Niger, which needs to be protected by a robust security infrastructure.
“Kebbi is very strategic, because we share borders with Niger and Benin Republics and with the incursion of Lakurawa, we feel we need additional security to man the River as we only have marine police, and they are not many,” he noted.
The governor recalled that Benin Republic used to be one of the peaceful countries in Africa, “however, the country is also facing challenges of security, not to mention the Niger Republic, and Kebbi shares a border with the two countries.”
He assured the delegation that the state government would do everything possible to create an enabling environment for them to operate.
The governor said that a temporary accommodation would be provided for the take-off, pending the construction of their permanent structure.