Hon. Justice Deinde Dipeolu of the Lagos Division of the Federal High Court has urged the National Assembly to constantly review the Suppression of Privacy and Other Maritime Offences Act 2019 (SPOMO Act).
According to him, this is to eliminate piracy attacks and other crimes in the Gulf of Guinea.
Mr Dipeolu made the appeal at the ninth edition of the Lagos International Maritime Week 2024, held in Lagos on Wednesday.The SPOMO Act provides a comprehensive legal framework for addressing maritime insecurities.
It empowers law enforcement agencies to investigate, prosecute and punish perpetrators of maritime crimes and other related offences.
Mr Dipeolu said the introduction of complicit laws could affect periods of judgement as the SPOMO Act had come to stay, adding that Nigeria would be the first to reckon with regarding safety on Martine and Blue Economy.
Mr Dipeolu said Nigeria had taken the lead in promulgating the SPOMO Act, which helped reduce piracy and other crimes in the Gulf of Guinea.
He said the federal government, in conjunction with counsels, ensured the timeliness of maritime cases due to the sensitivity of the profession.
Mr Dipeolu pleaded with counsels to avoid technicalities which delayed matters before the court.
“The federal government also established Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), which covers arbitration, mediation and consideration and they take less time. Government should engage maritime judges in constant conventions to improve speedy approach of maritime cases,” Mr Dipeolu said.
Also, the president of Maritime Arbitration of Nigeria (MAAN), Bodunrin Adewale, encouraged professionals to engage in arbitration training to complement the federal courts’ efforts to reduce the time of approach to court cases.
He said reducing piracy attacks in the Gulf of Guinea would facilitate trade and allow more cases for arbitrators to handle.
Mr Adewale, a panellist at the programme, urged the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy to invest more in infrastructure to facilitate trade and reduce business time within Nigeria and the West and Central Africa region.
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