Ship laden with stolen oil seized by Navy handed over to EFCC

An oil-laden vessel with no documentation and approvals, arrested on the creeks of Delta by operatives of the Nigerian Navy Ship Delta, was on Tuesday in Warri, handed over by the Commander, NNS Delta, Commodore Chindo Yahaya, to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for detailed investigation and further necessary action.

Yahaya, represented by the Base Operations Officer, NNS Delta, Navy Commander Samuel Musa, formally handed over the arrested vessel – TUG MV STEPH I – to officials of the anti-graft agency led by an Assistant Commander II, EFCC Benin Zonal Command, Gomina Francis, on Tuesday.

Briefing journalists, the Navy disclosed that the vessel was arrested on July 6, 2023, at KFT Yard Edjeba, along NPA Expressway in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State as it was “discharging product suspected to be AGO into some rubber tanks without necessary documentations and approvals.

“Thus, the vessel was detained and taken to NNS Delta. Accordingly, TUG MV STEPH 1 is hereby handed over to the EFCC for detailed investigation and further necessary action.”

In the same vein, a Barge SIMI, laden with about 120,000 litres of product suspected to be AGO, arrested by NNS DELTA operatives on July 6, at Workson Jetty Edjeba, along NPA Expressway in Warri South LGA, was also handed over to the EFCC on Tuesday.

The Navy told journalists that “the Barge was without necessary documentation and approvals.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that the product was an accumulation of remnants onboard (ROB) from various vessels”.

Consequently, the Barge Simi was handed over to the EFCC for detailed investigation and further necessary action.

The Navy, while noting that the NNS-Delta remained poised to rid its area of operation of illegal activities, declared that the incidents should serve as warnings to those that have intentions of conducting same, to desist from it.