COURT FORFEIT TWO OIL BUNKERING VESSEL TO GOVERNMENT

Two Federal High Courts sitting in Abuja has ordered the forfeiture of MT Kali and MT Harbor Spirit, two bunkering vessels to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

The two vessels were recently arrested by operatives of TSSNL in conjunction with the special task force set up by the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla.

Delivering an interim order of forfeiture in the case filed by Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun, Justice J. K. Omotosho yesterday ordered that MT Harbor Spirit and its content be forfeited to the Federal Government pending when any party might show cause why the order should not be made final within six months.

The police, in the charge between the IGP v. MT Kali & 22 others, had arraigned the vessel and its crew members before Justice J. O. Abdulmalik.

The court ordered the sale of the stolen crude oil contained in the impounded ocean-going equipment by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), and also directed that the proceeds from the sales be deposited by NNPCL in an interest-yielding account to be determined by Chief Registrar of the Federal High Court.

According to the certified true copy (CTC) of the order said, the court directed that an affidavit of compliance with its order be filled before it within 72 hours after the sale of the confiscated petroleum products found in the ship.

The MT Kali was arrested while siphoning crude oil from Pennington Oil Field of the Anglo-Dutch energy giant, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), in Bayelsa State, on January 11, with twenty crew members, including community boys’ as accomplice onboard, while MT Harbor Spirit on was arrested in the 4th of February, 2024.

The Moldovian vessel was caught stealing crude oil from Sengana oilfields in the coastal axis of Bayelsa State.

A five-count charge was slammed against the vessel and its crew in the case.

The charges were deposed to by Mr. Idris Abdullahi Mohammed, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), on behalf of IGP’s Special Task Force on Petroleum and Illegal Bunkering (IGP-STFPI), headed by Mr. Lot Lantoh Garba, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP).

This is the first time in recent time when oil thieves and their barons are being prosecuted and brought to justice.