New Maritime Security Task Force Launched in Lagos

The Combined Maritime Task Force Gulf of Guinea (CMTF-GoG) was officially launched on June 1, 2026, in Lagos, Nigeria, under the command of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria. This initiative involves six pioneer member states: Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone, collaborating to tackle maritime insecurity through a collective action framework.

The task force aims to address threats such as piracy, armed robbery at sea, kidnapping for ransom, and illegal trafficking, which have undermined economic activities in the Gulf of Guinea. Commodore Moham Shettima has been appointed as the pioneer force commander, with Captain Chinwe Umar serving as the Deputy Director of Defence Information Development.

The establishment of this task force is a response to the growing nexus between terrorist organizations and transnational criminal networks in West Africa, as recognized by the African Union Peace and Security Council in July 2021.