Navy Hands Over 12 Oil Thieves To EFCC in Bayelsa

The Central Naval Command of the Nigerian Navy on Sunday in Bayelsa State handed over 12 suspected oil thieves the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The suspects, 11 Nigerians and a Cameroonian, were apprehended over their involvement in the theft of 10,000 liters of locally refined diesel off the waterways of the Egweama community in Brass Local Government Area. 

The arrested Cameroonian was identified by the Navy as the Captain of the seized vessel used by the suspects to convey the stolen product. 

The vessel, registered as MV Sea Giant, possessed no ship log, NPA bunking Permit or Certificate of Registration with the Joint Military Task Force.

Commodore Emmanuel Enemor, Operations Officer, Central Naval Command, presented the crew of the seized vessel to the Representative of the EFCC, Deputy Detective Superintendent (DDS), Mr. Ogbu Chinedu Michael.

He said that the suspects claimed the petroleum products on the vessel was for running machinery on board, but laboratory tests on a sample showed that the product was illegally refined Automotive Gasoline Oil (AGO).

According to Enemor, the vessel was arrested off the Brass River entrance on the 16th of May by the Nigerian Navy Patrol Team from the naval base located at Egweama Community in Brass Local Government area of Bayelsa State.

He also disclosed that MV Sea Giant operates under the business name and license of MOEN Marine Limited located in Victoria Island in Lagos, adding that the captain confessed during interrogation that the vessel came from Lagos to load AGO from Barge at Agbara offshore.

Enemor said the arrest and many others recorded by the Navy was due to the unrelenting effort of the Nigerian Navy to wipe out all forms of illegal activities and criminalizes in the maritime environment.

"Besides the territorial waters, Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and the high seas, other water bodies that are of serious concern to us in the fight against criminality in the command are the Brass River, Nun River, St.Nicholas River and Santa Barbara River," he said.