The West African economy lost an estimated $2.3 billion between 2015 and 2017 to piracy, according to a United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report released on Friday.
Nigeria and other countries in the Gulf of Guinea have recorded an increase in maritime crimes such as piracy, kidnapping and armed robbery.
According to the UNODC report, the region lost an estimated $777.1 million annually “in addition to human costs” between 2015 and 2017.
“In the last three months of 2018, 41 kidnappings were recorded in waters off Nigeria alone,” said UNODC outreach and communications officer in Nigeria, Sylvester Atere.
The organisation offered its assurance that it would work alongside Nigerian authorities and its international partners to stave off maritime threats through capacity building and the strengthening of the legal and policy framework.
