- Mr. Hassan conveyed these sentiments as he welcomed the crew of INS Sumedha to the Western Naval Command Headquarters in Apapa, Lagos State
On Friday, the Indian Navy Ship (INS) Sumedha made a port visit to Nigeria, aiming to enhance the existing bilateral relations and security cooperation in the Gulf of Guinea.
Rear Adm. Mustapha Hassan, the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Western Naval Command, emphasized that such visits play a crucial role in fostering friendship, cooperation, and interoperability between the two nations.
Mr. Hassan conveyed these sentiments as he welcomed the crew of INS Sumedha to the Western Naval Command Headquarters in Apapa, Lagos State.
The FOC highlighted that this visit aligns with the vision of the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Adm. Emmanuel Ogalla, in enhancing security within Nigeria’s maritime domain.
“The Nigerian Navy, in particular, has had a good relationship in terms of training support, hardware exchanges, port visits and exercises.
“The collaboration between the two countries is good for enhancing national security and, in this case, security in the Gulf of Guinea,” he said.
Mr Hassan said the Nigerian Navy and the Indian Navy would be having a joint exercise called the Passex, which would further consolidate security gains in the Gulf of Guinea.
Also, the Indian Defence Attachè to Nigeria, Col. Romi Singh Legha, said the visit further increased interoperability between the two navies and improved anti-piracy operations.
“Nigerian Navy, primarily along with other navies in the region in the Gulf of Guinea, has been instrumental in controlling piracy in the last two years.
“To further this success, the INS SUMEDHA has joined to help in this operation which the Nigerian Navy is carrying out,” he said.
Mr Legha said there would be cross-deck visitations across ships where officers of both countries would visit each other’s ships and conduct training onboard.