Maritime Labour and Trade Union
Waterfront Attacks on Vessels Unacceptable, MWUN Boss Tells Security Agencies
Waterfront Attacks on Vessels Unacceptable, MWUN Boss Tells Security Agencies
By Emetena Ikuku, Maritime Safety Correspondent, Lagos
The President-General of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Mr Francis Bunu, has sounded the alarm over deteriorating security at Lagos port waterfronts, warning that repeated attacks on berthed vessels are eroding Nigeria’s standing in the global maritime community.
Bunu raised the concerns on Wednesday when members of the Shipping Correspondents Association of Nigeria (SCAN) paid a visit to the union’s headquarters in Lagos, ahead of the 2026 Dockworkers’ Day celebration.
Describing the attacks as a grave embarrassment to a regulated port environment, the MWUN leader questioned how armed assailants could freely approach berthed vessels by water in what should be a secured zone patrolled by marine police.
“Why will a vessel berth and people come across the water in numbers to attack it? These vessels are foreign-owned. How do they want Nigeria to be viewed in the international community?” Bunu queried.
He was reacting to a recent breach at the Eko Support Terminal, where unidentified assailants reportedly stormed a berthed vessel just last week — an incident that has since heightened anxiety among ship operators and port users about the reliability of security within Nigerian ports.
Bunu stressed that marine police carry a clear mandate to secure berthed vessels through active patrols and surveillance along port waterfronts, and that the recurring breaches pointed to dangerous lapses in inter-agency coordination.
“Somebody is certainly not doing their job. We cannot have these attacks without decisive intervention from responsible agencies,” he said.
The MWUN chief cautioned that if left unchecked, such incidents risk discouraging international shipping lines from calling at Nigerian ports, ultimately worsening the country’s maritime risk profile and threatening waterborne trade.
He called on security agencies and port authorities to urgently review their surveillance and patrol frameworks, warning that the insecurity extended beyond port gates to broader territorial waters.
Earlier, SCAN President Mr Moses Ebosele commended Bunu for his steadfast defence of workers’ interests and his contributions to industry development.
Ebosele explained that the visit formed part of preparations for the 2026 Dockworkers’ Day, which the association is organising to celebrate the contributions of dockworkers to Nigeria’s maritime economy.
He appealed to maritime workers across the sector to rally support and ensure the event’s success, noting that this year’s celebration would place a strong spotlight on environmental sustainability and modern port technologies.
The theme for the 2026 event — ‘Green Ports: Sustainable Practices for Dockworkers’ — will drive discussions among key maritime stakeholders on improving the environmental performance of Nigerian seaports while sustaining economic viability and trade growth.
Ebosele added that participants would examine dockworkers’ contributions to the broader economy and explore pathways for strengthening their role in an emerging green maritime economy.
Waterways News — Nigeria’s Authoritative Voice on Maritime, Inland Waterways and Blue Economy Affairs | www.waterwaysnews.ng