Navy Hands Over Oil Thieves To EFCC In Bayelsa

The authorities of the Central Naval Command of the Nigerian Navy has handed over a Cameroonian and 11 Nigerians to the officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over their alleged involvement in the theft of 10,000 liters of stolen illegally refined diesel oil along the waterways of the Egweama community of Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.


The arrested Cameroonian was identified by the Navy as the Captain of the seized vessel used by the suspects to convey the alleged stolen petroleum product. The vessel is identified as MV Sea Giant and allegedly possessed no Ship log,the NPA bunkering Permit and Certificate of Registration with the Joint Military Task Force code named Operation Pulo Shield.

The Central Naval Command Operation Officer,Commodore Emmanuel Enemor ,while presenting at the weekend the suspected crew of the seized Vessel to the Representative of the EFCC, Deputy Detective Superintendent (DDS),Mr. Ogbu Chinedu Michael,said though the suspects claimed the petroleum products on the vessel was for running machine rises,the laboratory 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,2013, by the Nigerian Navy Patrol Team from the FOB FORMOSO located at Egweama Community in Brass Local Government area of Bayelsa state,”the MV Sea Giant operates under the business name and license of MOEN Marine Limited located in Victoria Island in Lagos.”

“During interrogation,the Captain confessed during 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 criminalities in our maritime environment,” besides the Territorial waters, Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and the high sea,other water bodies that are of serious concern to us in the fight against criminalities in the command are the Brass River, Nun River, St.Nicholas River and Santa Barbara River.”

“Others include the Sambreiro River, Middleton River,Akassa Creek and the Furupa Community.In line with the charge handed to the Chief of Naval Staff by the President Dr.Goodluck Jonathan to eradicate crude oil theft and other criminality from the country’s domain,the Chief of Naval Staff has ordered all round patrol of inland waters and adjoining seas.”

“The Chief of Naval Staff has also assigned more boats and sea going vessels to the Central Naval Command to facilitate the implementation of his directives.Therefore,the current successes,aptly demonstrated by the handing over of yet another set of suspects to the EFCC today,can only be attributed to his determination to implement the Commander-In-Chief mandate to the letter.”