Posted by By Philip Nwosu on
The Nigerian Navy says it has arrested over 100 sea pirates and illegal bunkering operating within the waterways in the South eastern part of the country in the last one year.
The Nigerian Navy says it has arrested over 100 sea pirates and illegal bunkering operating within the waterways in the South eastern part of the country in the last one year.
Specifically, the Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Naval Command, Rear Admiral Ganiyu Adekeye, told Daily Sun in that no fewer that 112 illegal bunkerers and pirates have been arrested by naval personnel combing the water ways in the Eastern Command of the force in search of crude oil thieves.
In all, Admiral Adekeye said that four foreigners, including two Ghanaians, a Togolese and a Beninoise were among those arrested, while 48 barges, nine self-propelled barges, six Tug boats and 10 wooden canoes belonging to the illegal bunkerers were impounded, alongside the products.
The barges, he said, were arrested with an unspecified quantity of crude oils and other refined products, illegally acquired from the country's oil facilities in the Niger Delta.
He spoke to Daily Sun in Port Harcourt, during the FOC second biennial sea inspection, revealing that the force has also, during the period, been able to recover N6 million being stolen by suspected sea robbers from one of a banks in Bayelsa State.
The money, Adekeye said, has been handed over to the police and the bank after a thorough proof of ownership.
He read the riot act for the crude oil thieves, warning that it will no longer be business as usual as the force is well equipped to ensure that peace reigns within the waterways.
He said that within the command's area of responsibility, it will ensure that the robbers and sea pirates, particularly crude oil thieves, no longer have a rosy time, adding that a massive importation of arms and ammunition was in the pipeline to checkmate insurgents in the Niger Delta area.
Reassuring the citizens of Rivers State of their safety despite threats from militant groups, Admiral Adekeye recounted the exploits of the force in containing insurgent who had plotted an invasion of Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, last year.
While explaining that the security of life and property in the command's areas of responsibility was big business, he said: "Our boat from the NNS Pathfinder had in 2003 confronted a boat within the water ways and before we could stop them for search, they fired at our men and we returned fire and they fled leaving their boat and when we searched the boats, we discovered N6million raw cash.
"We kept the money and after some time, a bank came up and laid claims to the money, but we said go an bring proof of ownership and they could not do that. Later the police came and also laid claims to the money, but there was no proof. However, after keeping the money for about a year, we handed it over to the police when the bank brought a sworn statement claiming ownership."
He lamented that within the last six months, one of his men was killed in an exchange of gunfire with pirates and sea robbers, while several others have been injured, but added that this will not deter them from checkmating economic saboteurs with the Niger Delta area.