Afric TV - News Summary...
- Navy arrested three Ghanaians and nine Nigerians on board a vessel laden with crude oil suspected to have been stolen from Akassa in Bayelsa State.
- Adeyemi Akinleye, confessed on video that they were instructed by the owner of the vessel, to load stolen crude oil from two barges around Akassa and thereafter proceed to Tema in Ghana.
Afric TV - Newsmail Report...
The Navy at the weekend arrested three Ghanaians and nine Nigerians on board a vessel laden with crude oil suspected to have been stolen from Akassa in Brass Local Government of Bayelsa State.
The suspects were arrested by operatives of the Forward Operating Base of the Navy, Egweama, near Brass, offshore Nun River with their vessel, MT FRANKENSEN, loaded with over 1,092,000 litres of crude oil.
Flag Officer Commanding, Central Naval Command, Rear Admiral Sidi Ali Usman, said he had visited the impounded vessel in company with the Command Operations Officer, Commodore Emmanuel Enemor; Commanding Officer, FORMOSO, Capt. Aniedi Ibok; Commander Samuel Garba, among others.
Usman said preliminary investigations revealed that the vessel could not tender relevant documents and permits required for the movement of products plying Nigerian waters at the time of arrest.
He said: “The vessel’s movement log showed evidence of previous voyages to Ghana. It seems reasonable therefore to infer that this is not the first attempt by the owner of the vessel to steal crude oil in Nigeria for the purpose of selling in Ghana.”
The FOC said the oil vessel, owned by Port Harcourt- based John George, was scheduled to travel to Tema ,Ghana, where the product was expected to be disposed of.
Usman said: “Upon interrogation, the captain of the vessel, Adeyemi Akinleye, confessed on video that they were instructed by the owner of the vessel known as Mr. John George, residing in Port Harcourt, Rivers state to load stolen crude oil from two barges around Akassa and thereafter proceed to Tema in Ghana where the product would be disposed of.
“The captain, giving further details of their mission, revealed that a local pilot was used to navigate the vessel into Nun River while one Mr. Destiny was the agent that supplied the product. MT FRANKENSEN was loaded with over 1,092,000 litres of stolen crude oil contained in eight of the 10 tanks compartments onboard the vessel at the time of the arrest.”
He said the vessel, which measured 83 metres length and eight metres breadth, had a tonnage capacity of 1,200 metric tonnes.
The FOC renewed the command’s efforts to completely wipe out the menace of oil theft, illegal bunkering and other forms of criminalities within its area of jurisdiction.
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