02 February 2017, Calabar – A new surveillance system codenamed Falcon Eye has been unveiled by the Nigerian Navy to ensure total coverage of the nation’s maritime domain against crimes.
The project, which is sited at the headquarters of the Eastern Naval Command in Calabar, Cross River State, will ensure that criminal occurrences such as oil theft, illegal transfers at sea, poaching, piracy and sea robbery are easily detected and the culprits prosecuted.
Unveiling the project, the National Security Adviser, Maj-Gen. BabaganaMonguno (retd.), said the move was part of the renewed efforts of the Federal Government to adequately arm and equip the Navy to fight crimes in the maritime space.
According to Monguno, the Falcon Eye will feed the main control centre of the surveillance system, which has been unveiled in Abuja.
He said, “As the country strives to make her maritime environment safer, I wish to encourage the Nigeria Navy to see the inauguration of this maritime surveillance infrastructure as part of the renewed efforts of the government to adequately arm and equip them to fight crimes in our maritime space.”
Earlier, the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-EteIbas, said that the Falcon Eye Project, which was initiated by the Office of the National Security Adviser, had boosted anti-piracy efforts in the country’s maritime domain.
He noted that the highpoint of the operations had been the facilitation of the arrest of a pirate vessel, MT MAXIMUS, with pirates last year.
Ibas, however, appealed to the Federal Government to complete remaining part of the project to sustain its efforts at resuscitating the Nigerian Navy fleet.
He said the Navy had trained 176 personnel including 36 officers and 144 ratings on the Falcon Eye system operation.
Explaining the details of the surveillance equipment, the Managing Director of RTCom Nigeria Limited, Mr. GadiIlah, said it was an extension of the Nigerian Security Element Project 2 (NICEP2) that was initiated in 2007 and completed in 2011.
- Punch
