Rear Admiral Umar Chugali who is the Flag Officer Commanding Central Naval Command, has come out to declare that the Nigerian Navy will continue to set ablaze vessels intercepted with stolen crude oil.
Chugali explained that the burning of intercepted vessels with stolen crude oil was the Navy’s standard operating procedure.
The FOC made the declaration on Monday during a familiarisation tour of naval units under his mandate at the Navy Base, Warri, Delta State.
Africa Today News, New York recalls that the military had on the 11th of July set ablaze a Cameroon-bound vessel, MT TURA II, laden with 150 metric tonnes of stolen crude oil.
The burning of the vessel raised questions among Nigerians, including the House of Representatives.
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However, speaking with journalists on Monday, Chugali said, ‘So far, every naval personnel, unit and establishment is operating under that SOP, which, for now, is very effective until any other means is devised. We are operating by SOP and also within extant regulations.’
According to him, burning intercepted vessels with stolen crude ‘has been discovered, for now, as the immediate response to ensure that those illegalities on the maritime domain do not exist.’
‘Maybe, later it could be reviewed,’ he said.
In another report, the Nigerian Navy Ship, Pathfinder on Monday its operatives arrested over 150 suspected oil thieves and seized about 100 boats in various parts of Rivers State in the last 16 months.
The outgoing Commander, NNS Pathfinder, Commodore Suleman Ibrahim, disclosed this while fielding questions from newsmen shortly after a send-forth parade in his honour in Port Harcourt.
Ibrahim said, ‘We arrested hundreds of large wooden boats. We also arrested over 150 persons for illegal oil bunkering.
‘The arrest we made is quite huge and the arrested suspects were handed over to the relevant agencies for prosecutions.
‘We have taken some arrested suspects to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.’
Ibrahim thanked the commanders and heads of sister security agencies for the synergy the base enjoyed which which he said was responsible for the relative peace being enjoyed in Rivers State.