Maritime Elders Forum Seeks Release of Ex-NIMASA DG, Jamoh, from ICPC Detention

Dr Bashir Jamoh Illegal Detention: An Open Letter to the ICPC
It is about a week ago since the Independent and Corrupt Practices Commission arrested and detained Dr Bashir Jamoh, the immediate past Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Adminstration and Safety Agency, NIMASA.

As Convener of the Maritime Elders Forum, we are disturbed that the ICPC is yet to offer any official statement as to the reason(s) behind his arrest, nor file charges against him.

As Director General of NIMASA between 2020 and 2024, Dr Jamoh served meritoriously as helmsman ,introducing several innovative tools and reforms to improve Maritime Adminstration, Safety and Security in Nigeria and by extention, the gulf of Guinea.

The famous Deep Blue project which has brought relative peace in the Gulf of Guinea was launched under the watch of Dr Bashir Jamoh. This launch effectively policed Nigeria territorial waters and the Gulf Of Guinea which had earned a notoriety for piracy.The Deep Blue project on the ocassion of its launch by Late President Muhammadu Buhari on June 10, 2021, deployed three special mission aircraft, three helicopters, two special mission vessels, 17 fast international boats and 17 armoured vehicles.

It is also on record that Jamoh also spear headed the removal of Nigeria from the International Maritime Bureau( IMB) piracy red list and enhanced Nigeria’s security through the facilitation and enforcement of the Suppression of Piracy and other Related ( SPOMO) Act which enabled NIMASA to successfully prosecute criminals operating in our waterways.

It is also on record that under Jamoh’s watch ,the Nigerian Seafearers Development Programne, NSDP , was rebranded in line with international best practices. We at the Maritime Elders Forum presume that under the Nigeria 1999 Constitution as ammended, Jamoh is presumed innocent of all allegations made against him, except on conviction by a court of competent jurisdiction. We urge the ICPC to release Dr Jamoh and allow him have access to his family and lawyers as his continued detention without trial is a breach and violation of his fundamental rights to freedom and fair hearing.

Signed. Elder Asu Beks

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