Unilorin don urges FG to establish special court for shipping disputes
By Mosunmola Ayobami, Ilorin
A professor of Private and Property Law at the University of Ilorin, Prof. AbdulRazaq AbdulKadir, has urged the Federal Government to designate a special court for shipping-related cases, similar to the United States model.
He noted that in the U.S., designated courts allow shipowners to post bonds, mitigating the adverse commercial effects of vessel seizures. Such a measure, he said, would significantly reduce the losses and damages associated with seized ships in Nigeria.
Delivering the 280th Inaugural Lecture of the university, titled “Radicalism, Rascality and Resentment in the Ebb of Marine and Blue Economy,” AbdulKadir also called for an amendment to the Cabotage Act 2003. He advocated the inclusion of oil drilling rigs in the Act’s provisions, particularly for the purpose of the 2% surcharge, to prevent shippers and investors from exploiting existing legal loopholes.
The professor further recommended a review of the privatization of maritime security in Nigeria, arguing that outsourcing security and enforcement is not the solution to the growing insecurity within the maritime domain.
He called for maritime security enforcement to be handled by trained military personnel and urged the reorientation of marine police and naval officers. According to him, corruption among security operatives contributes to avoidable incidents, including arms smuggling and unregulated fishing.
“Enforcement by military personnel from one state against another must be sanctioned by the United Nations Security Council. Unauthorized enforcement actions threaten the international security framework,” he warned, emphasizing the link between maritime security and global peace.
Prof. AbdulKadir concluded by asserting that military capacity alone is insufficient to tackle piracy in the Gulf of Guinea. Instead, he identified good governance and stable political regimes as the primary deterrents to maritime crime.
