By David Otto
Exactly three (3) years after it was officially commissioned and deployed by the Nigerian government, the Navy’s Falcon Eye Technology has recorded remarkable successes in combating piracy, kidnapping and other illegal maritime activities in the Gulf of Guinea.
The integrated approach has been extended beyond piracy eradication to combating oil theft, vandalism of pipelines, curbing illegal fishing and sea-born smuggling activities, thereby preventing the loss of millions of dollars to the Nigeria economy.
The multifaceted impact of Falcon Eye has not only fortified the nation’s security architecture but has become a catalyst for maritime economic prosperity, establishing Nigeria as a safer and more secure maritime hub in the global landscape.
The combined human and real time technological advancement deployed in the South East of Nigeria has achieved positive results worth replicating in the North East of the country to address the resurgence of Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorist activities along the complex Lake Chad basin waterways, an area infested with organized crime and criminals for more than a decade.
Intelligence reports show that ISWAP and Boko Haram terrorists hibernate in the area to plan attacks, stockpile weapons, manufacture Home Made Explosives (HMIEDs) and evade regional security forces.
The absence of real time intelligence and surveillance technology in the North East waterways provided a perfect safe haven and escape route for terrorists and criminals for the launch of deadly guerilla and suicide attacks against soft civilian and hard military targets with devastating impact.
However, since its official deployment, the Nigeria Navy has used the Falcon Eye’s detection technology to arrest NESO II, a pirate Mother-ship, which attempted an illegal activity along Nigeria waters.
Another fishing vessel (Hailufang II) that was hijacked by pirates from Cote ‘Ivoire, was also intercepted and 10 pirates arrested, prosecuted and jailed recently. thanks to the proactive deployment of the Falcon Eye technology.
The use of this advanced technology has equally prevented oil theft of worth over one billion dollars, by deterring, preventing and arresting over 100 tankers involved in the illegal production and theft activities.
Similarly, the Nigeria Navy identified and intercepted Heroic Idun, a 330-meter super tanker with a capacity for millions of oil barrels valued at $US300 million. The vessel was intercepted by Falcon Eye, while attempting to illegally enter the AKPO oil terminal to steal crude oil.
More than 45 illegal fishing trawlers were also captured by the Nigeria Navy using Falcon Eye technology, resulting in significant reduction of unregulated fishing estimated at $US70 million annually since 2021.
Furthermore, the Nigeria Navy is on record to have deployed Falcon Eye technology to achieve successes in preventing the smuggling of rice, cannabis and cocaine.
In 2023, the Navy seized over 650,000 bags of smuggled rice with a market value of over 20 billion Naira, while more than 50 tons of cannabis valued at over six billion Naira were also seized in the country’s West coast.
Also, in 2021, the Navy deployed technological intelligence to locate and seize over 55-kg of cocaine with a market value of $US2.5 million.
The use of this advanced technology has, thus enhanced marine security and boosted the blue economy, saving Nigeria billions of Naira in revenue.
Consequently, the United Nations removed Nigeria from its piracy list in 2021. The country has also been removed from the Lloyds of London’s war risk insurance premium list, thereby reducing the cost of insurance on freights to Nigeria to under $US800 million per annum.
As the combined military intelligence-led operations take their toll on Boko Haram and the jihadist groups, coupled with Air Force strikes on their hideouts from above the sky, there is an urgent need for the Nigerian and regional Naval Task Forces to intensify the use of the Falcon Eye Technology to detect and neutralise the remnants of Boko Haram/ISIS escape waterway routes and their maritime survival tactics along the Baga axis and the Lake Chad Basin fringes.
The insurgency war that began ravaging three northern Nigerian states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (BAY States) since 2009, is in its 15th year.
The Nigerian Army, Air Force, Police, regional Multi-national Joint Task Forces (MNJTF ) of Cameroon, Niger Republic, Chad and Benin have joined the Local Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF); and local hunters fighting the terrorists and criminal gangs linked mainly to the factions of Boko Haram and Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP).
Since 2015, Boko Haram and organised criminals operating in Northern Nigeria and the fringes of the Lake Chad Basin have continued to suffer massive ground and aerial coordinated targeted strikes on their stronghold by national and regional military and Air Force security agencies. This intelligence led operations have prevented and foiled many attacks leading to a significant reduction in the number of terrorists related violent incidents on soft and hard targets within Northern Nigeria and regional states as recorded by the Global Terrorism Index 2020.
Meanwhile, Boko Haram/ISWAP units operating in the Lake Chad basin and Baga Axis continue to benefit from porous waters to smuggle arms and ammunitions at the operational and tactical disadvantage of the Nigerian military and regional MNJTF member states. The jihadist are known to control a regular fishing industry trade in the Lake Chad region – taxing local and regional merchants and fishermen from Cameroon, Niger Republic, Chad and Nigeria for access and protection fee – a key source of terrorist operational funding.
The World Food Programme estimated that revenue of about $US48 million in this region came from fishing and red pepper trade before the insurgency – with the insurgency, this figure could be more with jihadist applying zero-fishing regulations in the areas they control. This illegal trading has given rise to a new network of criminals liaising with Boko Haram jihadist for a common financial interest.
At the same time, several waterways along the Baga and Lake Chad axis provide Boko Haram/ISWAP units with a guerilla-style launching ground and retreat/escape routes using locally manufactured canoes and flying boats.
The Nigerian military and regional MNJTF states should consider deploying a robust, coordinated and well-equipped Naval Specialist Task force to deal with the current identified Maritime loopholes. This Naval Task Force could benefit from the modern day tried and tested Falcon Eye Technology with the battlefield capacity to monitor, alert, foil and intercept criminals and terrorist activities in complex fishing and narrow waters of Lake Chad and Baga Axis.
Falcon Eye Technology has the capacity to enable the Nigerian and regional Naval unit to re-deploy to the Baga Axis and the Lake Chad basin with a planned operational end-to-end real time programme to detect, track, alert and facilitate the interception and foiling of a wide range of terrorist and illegal activities.
Armed with powerful sensors, smart analytic software, Falcon Eye can cover the entire Lake Chad basin states down to the Baga Axis, up to 200 Nautical miles.
It is capable of using the Maritime Intelligence System (MIS) to identify illegal activities within the coverage area. Sensors and radars are used to capture maritime activities using set rules to determine a normal operational procedure or otherwise.
The MIS is able to identify abnormal activities such as vessel-to-vessel proximity, illegal change of route, activation and deactivation of vessel signal. This ensures that the eventual alerting brings out the targets of real interest that truly act abnormally with suspicious behaviour. This is achieved by matching patterns of terrorist and illegal maritime activities, such as illegal fishing, weapons smuggling and transportation of fighters from one location to another.
The Lake Chad basin terrain and jihadist activities will require the deployment of the Navy with the capacity to communicate and coordinate instant maritime and land operations from the Theatre of Command HQ and the situation control room.
The Navy should also benefit from over the Horizon Radars to survey jihadist activities from kilomtres away – Fast Interception Boats for response and manoeuvre; Mobile Surveillance Vehicles; Offshore Patrol Vessels; with Maritime Patrol Aircraft Regional Command & Control Centre; Tactical Knowledge and Training Centre for continuous assessment of the changing dynamics in the maritime ecosystem.
This centre has the potential to provide the Naval authorities and Operational forces with the means to operate the Surveillance System formation, monitor, and control all maritime operations ranging from intelligence gathering and assessment through the actual operations of the forces.
Since the beginning of the insurgency 2009, Lake Chad basin national and regional states have deployed more resources for the tactical and operational needs of the territorial army, special forces and to some extent, the Nigerian Air Force ISR units.
The Nigerian and regional Navy forces have not consistently prioritized Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) deployment capabilities against Boko Haram terrorist and criminal activities in the complex waters on the fringes of the Lake Chad Basin states – with the resurgence of Boko Haram and ISWAP suicide bombers – it is time for a combined human and technological advancement deployment in the North East.
The deployment of a well-equipped and trained Navy task force in the Lake Chad Basin and Baga Axis will close the huge gap exploited by Boko Haram ISWAP units to escape, but also survive from daily intelligence led operations launched by ground and aerial national and regional security forces.
Today’s rapidly evolving asymmetric warfare, particularly the war on terror in the North East of Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin against ISIS affiliated Boko Haram factions, requires both national and regional strategic security agencies to study the enemies’ changing operational behaviour and apply effective intelligence-led tactical countermeasures.
This means that the army (ground), the Air Force (Air) and the Navy (sea) must cooperate and coordinate their proactive responses to counter all Boko Haram’s violent activities in the region.
Dr David Otto is an International Counter-Terrorism and Organized Crime Expert and lead Director of Counter Terrorism at the Geneva Centre for Africa Security and Strategic Studies (GCASSS).