Designing a Coastal and Maritime Security Strategy for the Akwa Ibom State Coastline

The Akwa Ibom coastline faces multiple maritime security threats including oil theft, illegal fishing, piracy, and human trafficking, and a professionally designed state-level maritime security strategy would complement federal Nigerian Navy and NIMASA operations with community-based coastal security capacity. This study designed a coastal and maritime security strategy for Akwa Ibom State, focusing on the Eastern Obolo, Eket, and Oron coastline sectors. A professional strategy design methodology was employed, drawing on maritime threat assessment through analysis of Akwa Ibom incidents in the IMB Piracy and Armed Robbery Report 2020 to 2023, structured interviews with 18 maritime security professionals from Nigerian Navy, NIMASA, Akwa Ibom State Marine Police, and fishing community leaders, and benchmarking against the Maritime Organisation of West and Central Africa (MOWCA) Code of Conduct and Ghana's Maritime Security Strategy. The threat assessment confirmed oil theft as the highest-impact threat, piracy as the highest-frequency threat, and illegal foreign trawling as the most economically damaging threat to local fishers. The strategy designed encompasses a state maritime surveillance centre, community coastwatch network of trained fishermen, joint patrol protocol with Navy and NIMASA, mandatory Vessel Monitoring System registration for state-licensed fishing vessels, and a rapid response maritime interdiction capability. Expert review by eight maritime security specialists confirmed the strategy's operational coherence. The study recommends AKSG Cabinet adoption and presentation to the Ministry of Transport for federal complementarity funding.

Keywords: maritime security, coastal security, Akwa Ibom State, piracy, South South Nigeria