By Uzor Odigbo
Barely minutes the Director General , Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency Dr. Peterside Dakuku,  called on the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) to be factual and accurate while reporting  pirates related issues on Nigeria waters, Concerned Seafarers have raised alarm of incessant  attacks on ships by bandits with wooden boats, 50 nautical miles off Lagos waters.
Also ,during last week sea exercise conducted by the Nigeria Navy , the Flag Officer, Commanding Western Naval Command,Rear Admiral ,Habila Ngalabak, maintained that pirate attacks on  the nation’s maritime space for close to three months, has been reduced to its barest minimal.
But the combined group of seafarers expressed worries over the insecurity at sea as lives and properties have been threatened by the  bandits within the nation’s territorial waters.
The Concerned Seafarers are made of members of the Nigerian Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association,(NMNOWTSSA) the Nigerian Association of Master Mariners and ratings from the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN).
NMNOWTSSA  President, Engineer Matthew Alalade, in a chat with newsmen lamented that in the last one month, attack on tankers and trawlers have been a reoccurring decimal at sea,pointing out that the law enforcement agencies are not visible.
While expressing shock on the trending situation by the bandits ,the union boss said the sea robbers are ill equipped, because according to him, the criminal elements make use of wooden boats with low engine capacity.
According to him, members who work aboard tankers and trawlers have been constantly reporting the case to the union’s headquarters in the last one month, hence the need to draw the attention of  relevant agencies to nip the situation in the bud was necessary.
He alleged that the sea bandits either cart away with personal effects  or demand for physical cash from the crew.
Alalade further challenged the Navy authorities over alleged illegal arrest and detention of seafarers , saying the law enforcement agency hardly apprehend the pirates and sea robbers who perpetrate crimes at sea.
Recall that the director general of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), had called on the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) to ensure fairness and balance in its reportage of piracy issues on Nigeria’s territorial waters.
Dakuku regretted what he called the exaggeration of reports on incidences on the country’s waterways by the IMB, a specialised department of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) dedicated to fighting maritime crime and malpractice.
The DG made the assertions on Tuesday in Lagos, when a delegation of the International Maritime Security Operations Team (IMSOT) from the United Kingdom paid a working visit to the Agency.
He bemoaned the distortion of facts in the coverage of Nigeria by the bureau, saying such distortions can do reputational damage to the country within the international community.
He observed that even the slightest crimes in the creeks and habours of Nigeria were often reported as piracy by the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre.