Vincent Nwabueze OKONJI

The findings revealed that maritime insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea acts as a severe economic tax on regional trade, forcing shipping companies to incur exorbitant costs for private armed escorts, rerouting vessels, and heightened insurance premiums, costs which are ultimately passed down to West African consumers through inflated commodity prices. Culturally and operationally, the nature of piracy in the region has transitioned from oil cargo theft to high-risk kidnap-for-ransom schemes. On the policy front, the study established that while the Yaoundé Architecture (2013) provided a vital framework for regional cooperation, its full operationalization is heavily hindered by inadequate naval assets, weak intelligence-sharing mechanisms, and varying levels of political will among littoral states. Furthermore, the legal analysis indicated that prior legislative gaps in prosecuting pirates have been significantly improved by landmark domestic laws, such as Nigeria's Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences (SPOMO) Act, though cross-border legal harmonization and jurisdictional boundaries remain complex hurdles.