Nigeria Ports Authority, NPA, has decried the continuous theft of buoys along the eastern corridor of the country’s waterways in Calabar, Port Harcourt, Onne, and Warri.
The Managing Director of NPA, Alhaji Mohammed Koko, disclosed this in Abuja while briefing State House Correspondents on the performance of the Authority.
He said the theft of the buoys had made navigation more dangerous, thereby discouraging international cargo ships from using the eastern maritime corridor.
According to the Managing Director, each of the buoys, which serve as navigational route signs, costs between 12 million and 20 million baira, bemoaning that this year alone, about twenty five of the maritime safety equipment have been stolen from.
He explained that apart from the cost of the buoys, the cost of their installation and deployment were even costlier.
Alhaji Koko said the Authority had been interacting with the locals and leaders of the affected villages, where the thefts had been taking place as part of attempts to stop the trend.
Bello Wakili