Navy impounds ship, arrest 12 for bunkering, smuggling in A/Ibom

Isaac Job, Uyo

The Nigerian Navy, Forward Operating Base, Ibaka, Mbo Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom state, has seized a ship and arrested 12 crew members for alleged illegal bunkering and smuggling.

Out of the 12 suspects arrested, six were nabbed in connection with the smuggling of 523 bags of 50kg contraband rice said to have been smuggled from the Republic of Cameroon, with three 40 horsepower outboard engines, one pumping machine, one wooden boat and 52 empty plastic drums.

Speaking in Ibaka during the hand-over of the ship, suspects and items to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the customs, Commanding Officer, Captain Reginald Adoki said the navy is committed to ensuring that it rids the state of illegal maritime activities.

“This vessel, NV Sword Fish 5 along with 12 crew members was arrested when our gun boat was carrying out a patrol along the Calabar River. The vessel was arrested while it was conducting illegal bunkering of substance we suspect to be Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) and diesel to another platform without due authorization.

“At the time of arrest, we were able to confirm that the vessel had no approval for the transfer of the products it was conducting at the time and this violates extent regulations as regards movement of petroleum products on Nigeria’s maritime environment.

“While conducting our normal patrol at about 20:40 hours last night along Mbo River based on intelligence, we were able to arrest a medium sized boat that was loaded with 50kg bags of rice and six suspects.

We would want to reinstate the continued and unalloyed commitment of the navy to ensure that we do our work creditably to rid our area of operations of illegal activities,” he stated.

While receiving the ship and 12 suspects from the navy, the Uyo Zonal Head of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Abdukarim Chukkoh, described the action of the ship and crew members was economic sabotage and the commission is at the forefront of trying to tackle such crimes.

“The EFCC is a body that is created to investigate cases of economic crime and we see this as economic crime.

We can assure you, we are going to take up this matter; to investigate and at the end of our investigation, we are going to charge them to court so that they face the court and the court will do justice.

We are very happy with the cooperation of the navy and this is to show that we all work together in trying to achieve our goal,” he said.

Also speaking, the Controller, Eastern Marine Command, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Port Harcourt, Elton Edorhe, through his representative, Assistant Controller, Ali Garko thanked the navy for the synergy, saying the suspects would be duly prosecuted.

He said that “I am quite happy that the navy has been giving us tremendous support in the performance of our duties. We will not relent in taking charge of what is our responsibility.

We have 523 bags of rice and six suspects and as the law permits, we will investigate the issue, prosecute the suspects and these items will be confiscated by the federal government.”

When interviewed, the Captain of the seized ship, Bakpa Yerinmene denied the involvement of his ship and crew in illegal bunkering, saying that they were performing their legitimate duty when they were arrested by the navy.

He stated that “I was sent to do official work by Addax Petroleum Nigeria Limited, an oil company. Addax Petroleum as a company has XPXO at Calabar offshore.

This boat is an anchor handling vessel, platform support, mooring support, that is the work the vessel provides for the company hired by Addax Petroleum. The vessel belongs to Verta Mega Services.

One of the suspects accused of rice smuggling, Jerry Julius from Ilaje Ese-Odo Local Government Area in Ondo state, said he has lost a lot of money in the rice smuggling business and was sorry that he was arrested for smuggling.