EFCC Makes Major Bust: Investigates 14 Alleged Oil Thieves In Port Harcourt

EFCC Makes Major Bust: Investigates 14 Alleged Oil Thieves In Port Harcourt....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The EFCC’s Port Harcourt Zonal Command has launched an inquiry into 14 individuals suspected of oil theft, alongside the Motor Fishing Trawler named Hawwau Tanko. These suspects were initially apprehended by the Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base, FOB, Formoso, Brass, Bayelsa State, before being transferred to the anti-graft agency.

The arrests occurred on February 27, 2024, near Fish Town Rivers, Southern Ijaw Bayelsa State, by a detachment of 5 BN Nigerian Army aboard the Motor Fishing Trawler, Hawwau Tanko, carrying around 10,000 liters of illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO).

Navy Captain Murtala Aminu Rogo, Commanding Officer of Forward Operating Base (FOB) Formoso, disclosed that the Motor Fishing Trawler (MFT) Hawwau Tanko was seized on suspicion of involvement in illegal bunkering.

In a statement by Navy Commander M. A Gada, Captain Rogo affirmed the Nigerian Navy’s commitment to enforcing maritime laws to combat crude oil theft and other illicit activities within Nigerian waters.

The suspects, including the vessel’s captain Kolapo Gafar, will undergo further investigation and possible prosecution, as assured by the Zonal Commander of the EFCC, Port Harcourt Command, Assistant Commander ACE 1, Ahmed Muhammed Ghali.

Assistant Superintendent of the EFCC, ASE 1 Salim Abubakar Sadiq, who accepted the suspects and the vessel on behalf of the EFCC, praised the Navy’s cooperation and emphasized their joint effort to minimize illegal oil bunkering activities.

Efforts are underway to curb illegal oil theft, with a firm commitment to ensuring perpetrators face legal consequences.

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