Di Ministry of Defence don arraign some foreign sailors for di Federal High Court for Port Harcourt, di Rivers State capital, Southern Nigeria for piracy and crude oil theft.
Dis dey come after di Nigerian Navy arrest 26 sailors from di vessel wey dem gbab for Equatorial Guinea for alleged piracy and crude oil theft from Akpo Oil Field, Bonny for Rivers State.
Di 26 suspects wey from India, Sri Lanka, Philippines and Poland dey face charges wey border of:
- Entering a restricted zone around an oilfield without authorization.
- Illegally attempting to load crude oil from Nigeria without appropriate documentation, wey be economic sabotage.
- Falsely accusing a Nigerian Navy Ship of piracy on international maritime reporting platforms.
Na only 16 of di suspects appear before Justice Turaki Mohammed of Federal High Court Port Harcourt and dem plead not guilty to di charges.
Di court say dem go remain for di Nigerian Navy and adjourn di mata to Tuesday 15 November wen di remainng 10 suspects go come take dia plea.
How Nigerian Navy arrest di vessel
Nigerian Navy bring back a runaway Very Large Crude Carrier, VLCC, MV HEROIC IDUN dem arrest for Equatorial Guinea becos e unlawfully enter Akpo Oil Field Bonny, Rivers State to illegally lift crude oil.
Di Nigerian Navy mobilize about five ships including NNS IKENNE and NNS OJI run di operation for voyage wey take dem eight days to and fro.
Dis na afta ogbonge diplomatic negotiations wit di two kontris.
According to di Chief of Policy and Plans, Naval Headquarters, Abuja, Rear Admiral Saidu Garba, dis Very Large Crude Carrier VLCC, MT HEROIC IDUM with length 336 meters, 60 meters width and 11 metres draught, with IMO number 9858058, dey registered for Marshall Island and get capacity to carry over two million litres.
Di vessel enta Nigerian waters say dem wan lift crude oil around Akpo deep offshore Bonny for midnight of 7 August 2022.
But di Nigerian Navy Maritime Domain Awareness facility sight dem and ask weda di VLCC get legitimate presence for di Akpo Field wey Total SA dey operate.
Dem later find out from di controlling agency, NNPC Ltd, say di vessel no dey cleared.
So dem deploy Nigerian Navy Inshore Patrol Craft, NNS GONGOLA, to investigate am.
Dem discover say di vessel no get both NNPC approval and Naval clearance and so dem instruct di vessel to proceed to Bonny anchorage for further instructions.
But captain of MV HEROIC IDUN no gree follow instructions and say dem tell am not to take directives from di Nigerian Navy Ship.
E go di direction of di Sao Tome and Principe maritime area.
Na as dem sail enter di Nigerian-Sao Tome and Principe joint Development zone into Equatorial Guinea, di Nigerian Navy go arrest am.
“Di Nigerian Navy assure Nigerians say with dia statutory responsibilities and from di strength of di strategic directives of Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Auwal Zubairu Gambo, di Service go maintain zero tolerance to crude oil theft and oda criminal activities for our maritime domain.
Rear Admiral Garba say e no happy with di level of economic sabotage oil theft don cause di kontri.
Di vessel currently dey held at Luba Anchorage in Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea wia di kontri dey also conduct her own investigations while we await diplomatic procedures for handing over to di Nigerian Navy.” E add.
‘False piracy alarm by MV HEROIC IDUN na slap on Nigeria’
No be only say dis MV HEROIC IDUN wan kolobi oil comot Nigeria dem even report Nigerian Navy vessels say, dem be pirates.
Rear Admiral Saidu Garba na im reveal dis one say, di Captain broadcast false piracy attack call to IMB Piracy Reporting Centre to mislead mariners say NNS GONGOLA na pirate vessel and to forge alibi for dia desperate action.
Di Chief of Policy and Plans NHQs say dis false information na slap on di integrity and reputation of Nigeria. becos
Since 2021, dem never record any pirate attacks within Nigerian maritime environment and dis naim make di International Maritime Bureau to comot Nigeria from di list of piracy prone countries for March 2022.
Oda arrest of large vessels for oil theft
Di mata of oil theft don keep Nigerian navy busy over time.
For October 2022, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd (NNPCL) and some Security Agencies on Monday destroy one of di biggest oil vessels dem arrest with crude oil wey dem allegedly tiff from Escravos Pipeline for Delta State, Southern Nigeria.
Dem arrest di vessel, MT Deinmo, with IMO number 7210526, last week for di Niger Delta creeks with seven crew members on board.
Na di private Security outfit Tantita security wey ex-militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, (alias Tompolo) own and wey di NNPCL dey use do pipeline surveillance, na im catch di vessel wey bin dey loaded with di stolen crude oil.
Dem catch dem as dem dey pump di crude directly from di Escravos Pipeline into dia vessel for Warri South West LGA, Delta state and dem don hand over di arrested crew members to di Joint Task Force JTF for 3 Battalion Nigerian Army, Effurun near Warri.
Di matter of crude oil theft na one ogbonge challenge wey dey worry di Nigeria economy as dat na di main revenue earner for di kontri wey dem even dey use plan di annual national budget.
Crude oil theft don reduce di production capacity wey di Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries OPEC give Nigeria, wey also don negatively affect di revenue of di kontri.
Dis join with di bad effect e get on environmental pollution wey be say now most of di aquatic life don spoil finish and many rivers for di Niger Delta don spoil finish.
