Navy Impounds Marine Tanker for Illegal Oil Bunkering
Army destroys bandit camps in Zamfara Rescues 80-year-old man from Boko Haram
Senator Iroegbu in Abuja
Operatives of the Nigerian Navy have arrested a marine tanker codenamed ‘Mt Marina’ for suspected illegal bunkering activities.
The Director of Information (DINFO), Commodore Christian Ezekobe, in a statement yesterday, said as at the time of the arrest on April 28, 2016, the vessel was laden with 100 metric tons (MT) of suspected illegal refined diesel.
Ezekobe stated that MT Marina, which was arrested by a naval warship Nigerian Navy Ship (NBS) Andoni, off River Sombreiro, was intercepted during a routine patrol of the area.
“It was however discovered that the vessel was processing approval for 200 MT as a cover up of her illegal activities. Meanwhile, the vessel and crew will be handed over to relevant prosecuting agencies after investigations,” he stressed.
In a related development, he said a naval patrol team deployed by NNS Delta has arrested 13 persons suspected to be engaged in illegal oil bunkering, crude oil theft and piracy.
Ezekobe said while 12 suspects were picked up at Forcados River, one suspect was arrested after some sea pirates engaged the naval patrol team in a shootout at Ndolo community in Ekeremo Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
According to him, the 12 suspects earlier arrested on April 23, 2016 were picked up when the patrol team intercepted two Cotonou boats laden with about 150MT of substance suspected to be illegal refined diesel.
He listed other items recovered from the suspects to include 31 tanks measuring 5,000 litres containing illegally refined diesel, 13 pumping machines, eight empty tanks of 5,000 litres each and seven boats fitted with 115HP and 75HP outboard engines.
In another development, the troops of 1 Division Nigerian Army have intensify clearance operations against cattle rustlers and armed bandits in Kaduna and Zamfara States.
The Director of Army Public Relations (DAPR), Col. Sani Usman, said the troops had within the last four days, killed two notorious cattle rustlers that were suspected to have killed seven innocents persons in Bungudu Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
Usman said the troops have also arrested five declared wanted armed bandits and recovered arms and ammunitions from them and thereafter destroyed their camps.
“The troops also conducted a clearance operation in Kuduru, Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State in which they arrested five cattle rustlers, recovered arms and ammunitions and then destroyed the armed bandits camps,” he stated.
In a related development, the DAPR said that the troops of 29 Task Force Brigade on clearance operations of remnants of Boko Haram terrorists, on May 1, 2016, rescued an 80 year old man in Shaltimari village, Borno State
He said the elderly man, known as Mallam Ibrahim Matuk stated that he suffered untold hardship in the hands of the Boko Haram terrorists who killed all his children while in captivity.
