Oil bunkering: Nigerian Army hands over seized tugboat, barge to EFCC (photos)

Oil bunkering: Nigerian Army hands over seized tugboat, barge to EFCC (photos)

- A tugboat and a barge have been seized by the Nigerian Army in Abadiama community of Burutu local government area of Delta state

- The EFCC, to which the tugboat and the barge were handed over, said the vessels were being used for oil bunkering when they were seized

- The commission said that investigations on the development are underway

The Nigerian Army on Thursday, May 3 handed over a tugboat and a barge, allegedly seized from oil thieves, to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Delta state.

Spokesman of the commission, Wilson Uwujaren, disclosed this in a statement in Abuja. He did not, however, say whether the suspects were arrested, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

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Uwujaren stated that the tugboat (MV Omar Success) and the barge (EBIs 1) were allegedly being used for illegal oil bunkering when they were seized.

According to him, the Sector 1, Operation Delta Safe of the Army intercepted the vessels at a creek in Abadiama community of Burutu local government area of the state following a tip off.

Oil bunkering: Nigerian Army hands over seized tugboat, barge to EFCC
The tugboat and the barge seized by the Nigerian Army (Photo credit: NAN)

Speaking at the event, Major Y. J. Yunusa, who represented the commander, said the tugboat and barge were intercepted in February, 2018 while transloading suspected illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO).

Richard Ogberagha, an EFCC operative, who received the exhibits on behalf of the Benin zonal head of the commission, Milafia Yakubu, said the EFCC would do a painstaking investigation and ensure that those involved were brought to book.

Oil bunkering: Nigerian Army hands over seized tugboat, barge to EFCC
An official of the force handing over a document covering the vessels to the EFCC (Photo credit: NAN)

NAN said that came barely three weeks after the Army reportedly handed over three suspected oil thieves to the EFCC in Uyo, Akwa Ibom.

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The unidentified suspects were said to have been nabbed with a Dangote truck conveying “illegally refined petroleum products”.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that the chairman of Capital Oil Ifeanyi Ubah had accused the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) of owing his company N16 billion.

Ubah while explaining the role of his company in an alleged disappearance of 82 million metric litres of Petrol belonging to NNPC at the Lower House said the corporation owed Capital Oil N16 billion.

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Source: Legit.ng

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