The Nigerian Navy Ship Pathfinder said on
Sunday that it had handed over a vessel
and wooden boat loaded with about
10,000 litres of diesel worth N11m to the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
The petroleum product was suspected to have
been stolen as the vessel was said to be
transporting the fuel without
required documents.
A statement signed by the Base Information
Officer of the Nigerian Navy Ship Pathfinder,
Port Harcourt, Lt.-Cdr. Hamman Ahmed,
indicated that two crew members of the vessel
were also handed over to the EFCC for further
investigation and prosecution.
The statement quoted the Commander of NNS
Pathfinder, Commodore Sanusi Ibrahim, as
saying that the vessel; MT Purity, and the
wooden boat were impounded following a routine
patrol of the waterways and creeks by navy
troops on December 2, 2015.
Explaining that the seized vessel was carrying
diesel suspected to have been illegally refined,
Ibrahim stated that the vessel had no
authorisation from the navy and other relevant
government agencies to move fuel on the
waterways.
According to him, “During investigation, we
discovered that the vessel manned by two crew
members had no competency to justify them
serving on board the vessel.
“Similarly, the vessel had no authorization from
both the navy and other relevant government
agencies to move petroleum products. The navy
willcontinue to maintain its zero tolerance on
crude oil theft, illegal bunkering, pipeline
vandalism and piracy in the nation’s maritime
environment.”
He, nevertheless, urged the public not to relent in
assisting the navy and other security agencies
with vital information that would lead to the
arrest of oil thieves and other economic
saboteurs.
The Head of Counter-terrorism and General
Investigation of the EFCC in Rivers State, Mr.
David Iyang, received the seized vessel, wooden
boat and suspects from the NNS Pathfinder.
Iyang promised that those found culpable would
be prosecuted by the anti-graft commission at
the end of investigation.
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