A joint maritime exercise, the African Winds, organized by the Nigerian Armed forces with support from the Netherlands and the United States has commenced in Calabar and Lagos state.
According to the Chief of Training And Operations In the Nigerian Navy, Rear Admiral Olufemi Ogunjimi, the exercise will further improve the capacity of the Nigerian Armed Forces to deal with the numerous security challenges in the Gulf of Guinea, especially the stealing of crude oil and attacks on sea vessels.
Exercises to be conducted under the training programme include the amphibious raid, maritime counter terrorism, vessel boarding, stop and search in an opposed environment, oil rig operations, riverine operations and hydrographical survey.
A total of two hundred and twenty one military personnel drawn from the Armed Forces of Nigeria, Morocco, Senegal, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Cameroun, while six hundred and sixty-eight crew members aboard the Netherlands Rotterdam ship will participate in the exercise.