JIMOH Akinsola (2015) Maritime Piracy and Lethal Violence Offshore in Nigeria

The Nigeria Watch (NW) dataset recorded 18,009 fatalities caused by violence in Nigeria’s coastal states from 2006 to 2014. During the same period, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) dataset reported less than 20 deaths resulting directly from piracy attacks; however, the IMB does not record all fatal incidents at sea, near the shore, and in the creeks of the Niger Delta, such as gun attacks on oil offshore services and facilities, clashes among youth cult groups, and militant engagements with naval forces.

There is indeed a link between onshore and offshore violence. The spatial distribution of fatalities confirms it. Hence coastal local governments in Lagos State—namely, Apapa, Badagry, and Eti-Osa—accounted for the highest number of offshore deaths, according to NW, among costal states in Nigeria during the period 2006–2014. As for the IMB data, it also shows that most piracy attacks occurred in locations around Lagos, especially at Apapa Port.