The Central Naval Command of the Nigerian Navy last Sunday transferred 12 suspected oil thieves to the EFCC in Yenogoa.
The suspects were apprehended for their alleged involvement in the theft of 10,000 litres of locally refined diesel, off the waterway of the Egweama community in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. The suspects comprised 11 Nigerians and one Cameroonian.
The Cameroonian was identified by the Navy as the Captain of the seized vessel used by the suspects to convey the stolen product.
The vessel, registered as MV Sea Giant, had ship log, the Nigeria Port Authority bunkering permit and Certificate of Registration with the Joint Military Task Force.
Commodore Emmanuel Enemor, Operations Officer, Central Naval Command, presented the crew of the seized vessel to the representative of the EFCC, Deputy Detective Superintendent (DDS) Ogbu Michael.
Enemor said that the suspects claimed that the petroleum products on the vessel was for running machinery on board, adding that the laboratory test on the sample showed that the product was illegally refined Automotive Gasoline Oil (AGO).
According to Enemor, the Nigerian Navy Patrol Team from the Naval base arrested the vessel off the Brass River entrance on May 16 at Egweama Community in Brass Local Government area of Bayelsa State.
