The Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, attended the Fifth Meeting of the ECOWAS Sub Committee of Chiefs of the Naval Staff held in Accra, Ghana, from 16 to 20 February 2026.

The meeting brought together Naval Chiefs from ECOWAS member states, alongside the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Ambassador Abdel Fatau Musah. Also in attendance were directors of the West Africa Regional Maritime Security Centre and the Multinational Maritime Coordination Centres in Zones E, F and G. Representatives of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the European Union African Chamber of Commerce, as well as the Commander of the Combined Maritime Task Force, were present.

In his remarks, the ECOWAS Commissioner commended the progress recorded since the adoption of the ECOWAS Integrated Maritime Strategy. He highlighted the conduct of Operation Safe Domain in Zone E, Operation Anouanze in Zone F, and joint maritime patrols in Zone G as major achievements. He stressed the need for stronger regional cooperation to tackle terrorism, drug trafficking, and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. He also called for improved collaboration with landlocked countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger to combat terrorism and other forms of transnational organised crime.

The Commissioner acknowledged Nigeria’s advanced Falcon Eye Surveillance System and its leadership role in combating maritime crime in the Gulf of Guinea. He further urged member states to develop measures to address the declining water levels in the Lake Chad Basin.

Following the approval by the Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff to operationalise the Combined Maritime Task Force through a coalition of ready nations, five countries expressed interest in joining Nigeria. These include Cote d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. The official launch of the Task Force is scheduled to take place in Lagos from 31 May to 1 June 2026.

The meeting commended Nigeria for its commitment as host nation of the Task Force, noting its pledge of three ships, one helicopter, eight vehicles, and a temporary furnished office in Lagos to support the initiative.

The Combined Maritime Task Force is expected to serve as a rapidly deployable regional force, capable of delivering coordinated maritime security responses. It will leverage information from maritime coordination centres under the Yaounde Architecture to address emerging and complex threats in the Gulf of Guinea.

Vice Admiral Idi Abbas’ engagements at the meeting reaffirm Nigeria’s leading role in regional maritime security. The commitments secured from participating navies are expected to strengthen collaboration under the Yaounde Code of Conduct, enhance the exchange of best practices, and promote an African led approach to tackling maritime threats across West Africa.