Navy arrest wooden boat conveying 24,000 litres fuel to Benin Republic

Oil theft: Navy arrest wooden boat conveying 24,000 litres fuel to Benin Republic

Olaitan Ogundele

Operatives of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) BEECROFT have intercepted a wooden boat laden with over 800 jerricans of 30-litre capacity containing suspected stolen Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).

The boat was arrested during a joint operation with operatives attached to the Forward Operating Base (FOB) Badagry.

National Periscope gathered that the boat was observed to have been sailing seaward 80 nautical miles from the shore and very close to the boundary between Nigeria and the Benin Republic, in the early hours of yesterday.

This successful arrest aligns with key priorities of the Strategic Directives of Vice Admiral EI Ogalla, Chief of the Naval Staff, emphasizing the Navy’s unwavering commitment to curbing crime and criminality within the nation’s maritime environment for the economic prosperity of our dear nation,” said NNS BEECROFT Commander, Commodore Kolawole Oguntuga.

He stated that the Nigerian Navy would sustain dominance of the maritime space leveraging technology and other means to curb illegalities.

The Commander appealed to Nigerians not to relent in providing credible information necessary to ensure the maritime environment remained safe for legitimate businesses to thrive.