Navy Apprehends Nine Oil Thieves In Delta

The Nigeria Navy Ship
(NNS), at Warri  Naval Base has  arrested a vessel, MV Jochebed with nine suspects on board.
The vessel was allegedly  carrying about 200,000 metric tones of product suspected to be crude oil.
This was disclosed  by the Commander NNS in Delta State, Captain Musa  Gemu while briefing  newsmen at the Naval School of Engineering in Sapele, recently.
Gemu hinted that the self-propelled ship was apprehended  around Usan, northern part  of the Chevron operational area in Warri South-West local  government  area of Delta State.
According to him, “Jochebed is one of the  series of arrests we have made in recent time in  ensuring that we stop illegal oil bunkering in my area of responsibility.
“We will continue to do that in line with the Chief of Navel staff (CNS) zero  tolerance on illegal  oil bunkering.
“The nine crew members are all in the cell, they are like a cartel, they will never tell you their sponsors”, he said, and  opined  that the Navy  would not rest on its oars  until they eradicate criminal activities at the  waterways of Nigeria’s territory.
Gemu said the suspects were being  interrogated by the Navy, and appealed for the  removal of vessels which  cases have been disposed off by the court from the Naval berthing facilities in the state.
He said, “Those  vessels whose cases have been disposed are supposed to be out of this place, they are over stretching the berthing facilities that I have on the ground and it costs a lot of money to maintain them”, adding that judgments have  been passed on some of  the ships and about four of them  have been forfeited  to the Federal Government.

Collins Barasimeye