Western Naval Command Engages Dangote Refinery in Strategic Move to Bolster Protection of Nigeria’s Critical Industrial, Energy Asset

Chiemelie Ezeobi

In a move aimed at strengthening the protection of one of Nigeria’s most critical industrial assets, the Flag Officer Commanding the Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral A. A. Mustapha GSS, on Friday, January 23, 2026, visited the Dangote Refinery, Lekki, where he held a high-level strategic security meeting with executives of the Dangote Group.

Rear Admiral Mustapha was received by Alhaji Aliko Dangote, who was represented at the meeting by Hajiya Fatima Dangote, alongside other senior executives of the Dangote Refinery.

The engagement was a follow-up to an earlier meeting held on January 18, 2026, at the Dangote Group’s corporate office in Ikoyi, Lagos, as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen the security architecture around the refinery and its surrounding environment.

Discussions during the meeting focused on the implementation of advanced, high-tech security measures, including the deployment of integrated surveillance systems made up of long-range cameras, radar systems and Automatic Identification Systems (AIS). 

The parties also deliberated on the establishment of choke points, also referred to as Defence Outposts, at strategic locations around the refinery, along the lagoon and within adjoining coastal areas.

Other key areas discussed included the mobility and welfare of personnel deployed to secure the facility, with emphasis on ensuring operational effectiveness and sustained security presence around the refinery complex.

In her response, Hajiya Fatima Dangote assured the Flag Officer Commanding that the Dangote Group remains fully committed to the implementation of all agreed security measures to enhance the protection of the facility, recognising the refinery as a “National Strategic Asset”.

The meeting underscored the growing collaboration between the Nigerian Navy and critical private sector stakeholders in safeguarding vital national infrastructure within the Western maritime domain.