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The Maritime Security Providers Association of Nigeria (MASPAN) has warned that Nigeria’s port security remains exposed because the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code is not being fully enforced.
The association said that while NIMASA has implemented two pillars of the Code, the third and arguably most critical pillar has never been activated, leaving major technology-based vulnerabilities across port facilities.
Speaking after MASPAN’s 2025 AGM, President Emmanuel Maiguwa said NIMASA currently licenses Recognised Security Organisations (RSOs) and regulates security guards at ISPS-compliant facilities but has yet to implement the vendor licensing framework.
This framework requires that all vendors supplying CCTVs, surveillance equipment, access-control systems, or any technology used to close identified security gaps be licensed and validated for compliance with approved security plans.
Maiguwa cited a major drug-smuggling case from Brazil that was cracked only because the port facility involved used an ISPS-approved vendor. He explained that the facility’s security plan had identified blind spots and recommended a licensed vendor, whose mobile camera footage later exposed how the drugs were smuggled in.
He warned that many ports today deploy surveillance systems and security technologies that have never been validated for compliance, raising serious concerns about their reliability.
“We don’t know if the CCTVs currently being purchased meet ISPS standards or match the threat profiles identified in facility assessments,” he said, insisting that only full vendor licensing can guarantee port-facility integrity, support credible investigations, and improve Nigeria’s international maritime security standing.
MASPAN also reported improved cooperation with the Nigerian Navy after the association intervened in disputes caused by new regulations affecting vessels operating outside Nigeria’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). According to General Secretary Andrew Okonta, the Navy previously sanctioned entire companies for infractions committed by individual vessels.
MASPAN engaged the authorities in Abuja, he said, leading to a more targeted enforcement approach in which only the offending vessel is penalised. Members, he added, now enjoy clearer compliance guidelines and reduced operational friction.
Responding to claims that calm in the Gulf of Guinea is driven by foreign naval presence, Maiguwa dismissed the narrative as misleading.
He said foreign frigates such as those deployed by Denmark come to Nigerian ports mainly for logistics support and to protect their own global supply chains, not to police Nigerian waters.
“It is our Navy and intelligence community providing maritime security,” he maintained.
MASPAN confirmed ongoing engagements with NIMASA on improved ISPS enforcement and capacity development.
