Security & Safety
Reps Move to Revive Baro Inland Port, Set Sights on National Economic Integration
The House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on the Rehabilitation and Operationalisation of the Baro Inland Port has commenced a renewed push to bring the long-abandoned inland port back to life.
At the committee’s inaugural meeting held Wednesday in Abuja, Chairman Rep. Saidu Abdullahi described the port as a “sleeping giant,” adding that the time had come to convert decades of unfulfilled promises into meaningful progress.
“This committee is tasked with converting the endless talk over the years into real action,” Abdullahi declared. “Baro Inland Port is a sleeping giant, and our job is to wake it.”
Located in Niger State, the Baro Inland Port was once a critical logistics hub during the colonial era, connecting northern Nigeria’s agricultural exports to the coast via rail and inland waterways. However, years of neglect, driven by a post-independence focus on oil revenues and road-based infrastructure, led to its decline.
Abdullahi emphasized that this neglect has had significant economic and environmental consequences, including pressure on road infrastructure and missed opportunities in multimodal transport development.
Citing global examples like China’s Yangtze River Port (spanning 6,100 kilometers) and the Mississippi River Port system in the U.S. (over 12,000 miles), Abdullahi asserted that Nigeria must now leverage its inland waterways to foster national prosperity.
“Those countries have shown us what is possible. Inland waterways can be the backbone of any nation’s logistics. Nigeria too must rise to the occasion,” he said.
The committee chairman outlined key infrastructure deficits that must be addressed to activate the port: dredging of the capital channel to ensure navigability, rail connectivity between Baro and Minna, and improved access roads for cargo transport. He noted that while the Federal Government had already procured essential operational equipment, the missing links remain these foundational components.
“Our task is to bring the right stakeholders together, identify the bottlenecks, and engineer collaborative solutions to make Baro operational,” Abdullahi said.
He further stressed the importance of diversifying funding sources beyond public budgets. “We can’t rely solely on government allocations. We need private-sector involvement, PPP models, and investment from development finance institutions,” he added.
Abdullahi expressed confidence in the committee’s ability to deliver on its mandate, noting that its members were carefully drawn from across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones to ensure inclusive planning and execution.
The committee also announced the inauguration of a technical sub-committee to provide expertise and support in delivering its objectives.
Former Deputy Speaker of the House, Idris Wase, who is a member of the committee, underscored the strategic national value of the Baro Port revival, stating that the initiative goes beyond benefiting Niger State alone.
“This is a national project. Its success will impact commerce and connectivity across the entire country,” Wase said.
The lawmakers called on the media to play a proactive role in amplifying public awareness and ensuring accountability throughout the project’s implementation.
“We will be depending on you to give this assignment the visibility it deserves. Let’s revive Baro together—for commerce, for communities, and for the country,” Abdullahi concluded.
Navy Nabs Three Stowaways Aboard Merchant Vessel Off Lagos Coast
By Okeoghene Onoriobe | Waterways News Reporter | April 21, 2026
The Nigerian Navy has apprehended three suspected stowaways found concealed aboard the merchant vessel MSC STELLA (IMO No. 9279988) in waters off the Lagos Fairway Buoy, in what authorities say reflects the service’s intensified drive to secure Nigeria’s maritime corridors and combat irregular migration by sea.
The interception was confirmed in an official statement released Monday in Abuja by the Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho.
According to Folorunsho, the operation was executed by personnel of Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) BEECROFT, acting on credible intelligence received from the Western Regional Control Centre (WRCC) at approximately 5:05 pm on April 19. A Quick Response Team deployed from Tarkwa Bay successfully intercepted the suspects roughly five nautical miles off the Lagos coastline.
Preliminary investigations indicate the trio illegally boarded the vessel in the early hours of April 17 — around 1:00 am — while the ship was berthed at Tin Can Island Port, Lagos. The suspects have been identified as Aguru Michael, 27, a Benin Republic national; Soye Monday, 25, from Ondo State; and Kentobou Peter, 22, from Delta State. All three were reportedly attempting to reach Europe.
The naval spokesperson noted that the operation once again demonstrates the Nigerian Navy’s resolve to protect lives at sea and disrupt illegal migration through Nigeria’s waterways. He pointed to a string of recent search-and-rescue successes, including the rescue of seven people following a maritime collision in Bayelsa State, and the interception of three foreign stowaways aboard MT ANATOLIA just last month in March 2026.
The three suspects are currently being held at NNS BEECROFT and are undergoing investigation and administrative processing in accordance with applicable laws.
The Nigerian Navy reiterated its unwavering commitment to maritime safety, security, and continuous surveillance of Nigeria’s territorial waters.
Waterways News | Covering Nigeria’s Maritime Domain
EFCC, Customs Close Ranks to Choke Off Smuggling and Money Laundering at Nigeria’s Borders
By Okeoghene Onoriobe, Waterways News, Lagos April 15, 2026
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has thrown its weight behind its growing partnership with the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), signalling that the two agencies are tightening their joint grip on smuggling networks and financial crime operations feeding off Nigeria’s trade corridors.
Speaking during a high-level engagement in Kano, EFCC Acting Zonal Director Friday Ebelo said the collaboration is already yielding tangible results — illicit goods intercepted, funds recovered and high-profile suspects arrested. He credited the gains to a deliberate effort by both agencies to understand each other’s operational mandates and align their enforcement strategies.
“No single agency can combat cross-border crime alone,” Ebelo said, stressing that intelligence sharing and joint enforcement are essential to protecting national revenue and disrupting the financial networks that sustain organised criminal groups.
The visit was led by the Commandant of the Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College, Gaura, who brought students for an immersive look at how the EFCC conducts its operations. Gaura commended the Commission’s transparency and operational efficiency, noting that modern Customs work has long outgrown the border post — it now demands intelligence-led financial investigation skills that are built through exactly this kind of interagency exposure.
The engagement covered a lecture on interagency cooperation, interactive sessions on intelligence sharing and joint investigations, and a focused discussion on managing seized assets connected to currency smuggling and financial crimes.
For a country whose ports and waterways remain entry points for contraband — from petroleum products and narcotics to foreign currencies — the deepening of this EFCC-Customs alliance carries direct implications for maritime enforcement. Smuggling routes that exploit Nigeria’s coastline and inland waterways often rely on the same financial infrastructure that both agencies are now working to dismantle together.
Waterways News | waterwaysnews.ng
News
CUSTOMS BUSTS N1BN DRUG HAUL: Over One Million Tramadol Tablets, 10,000 Codeine Bottles Seized on Benin Highway
CUSTOMS BUSTS N1BN DRUG HAUL: Over One Million Tramadol Tablets, 10,000 Codeine Bottles Seized on Benin Highway
By Ighoyota Enaibre
Operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone C, Owerri, have dealt a major blow to drug traffickers after intercepting a staggering consignment of illicit narcotics with a Duty Paid Value of over N1 billion along the Okada/Ofosu Expressway in Benin City, Edo State.
The bust, one of the largest single drug seizures recorded by the unit, yielded 1,025,000 tablets of Tramadol and 10,000 bottles of Barcadin Codeine Syrup (100ml each) — all smuggled inside a truck and cleverly concealed among legitimate goods to dodge detection.
Comptroller Bishir Balogun, who announced the seizure, confirmed that the operation was executed on March 15, 2026, driven by strategic intelligence and coordinated enforcement action.
When customs operatives flagged down the vehicle, the driver made a desperate bid to escape — briefly pulling over before abandoning the truck entirely and fleeing on foot into nearby bushland. A thorough search of the truck uncovered the drugs hidden within the cargo.
The total Duty Paid Value (DPV) of the seized consignment stands at N1,056,000,000.
Balogun stressed that the haul reflects the Service’s firm resolve to choke off the supply of controlled substances fuelling drug addiction and violent crime across Nigeria.
“Smugglers and criminal networks should know that the Nigeria Customs Service will not relent. We will continue to deploy intelligence-led strategies to protect public health and national security,” he warned.
The consignment remains in custody as investigations continue to track down and prosecute those behind the operation.
-
Oil and Gas2 months agoTantita’s Pipeline Deal: $144m Contract, Rising Output, and the Questions that Deserve Answers
-
Blue Economy2 months agoNigeria’s Coast Guard Bill: A Solution in Search of a Problem?
-
MARITIME TRADE & SHIPPING2 months agoWorld’s Largest Container Ship Sets New Maritime Record with 22,233 TEUs on Single Voyage