Royal Navy British warship HMS Trent docks in Lagos as part of global fight against piracy

BRITISH Royal Navy warship HMS Trent has docked in Lagos as part of a West African military tour aimed at strengthening ties with allies in the fight against piracy and other illegal activities such as human trafficking.

Apparently, the warship is visiting Nigeria for the second time as part of its West Africa regional mission to aid British allies and partners to combat piracy, trafficking and other illegal activities. According to Ndidiamaka Eze, a spokesman for the British high commission in Nigeria, the visit would help deliver capacity training and support maritime security in the region.

Mr Eze said that the warship is in Nigeria solely to assist West African countries the develop capability to fight illegal crimes. West Africa has one of the highest incidences of piracy in the world, with oil tankers in particular being vulnerable targets.

Johnny Baxter, the deputy British high commissioner to Nigeria, said: “This deployment demonstrates how a truly global Britain is stepping up on the world stage to tackle shared international security challenges. Nigeria is an important and valued defence partner for the UK in West Africa.

"Our two countries face many shared threats and we are keen to work with Nigeria to defeat these and to help improve maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea.”