Maritime
AGAIN: NIMASA breaks Oil Stealing Cartel, Arrests Kingpin, 10 Others
LAGOS-Barely a month after it arrested and paraded ten persons suspected to be sea pirates in connection with an attack on one of the Agency’s boat, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has arrested another eleven persons who were suspected to be oil thieves.
The suspects whom the Agency reported were part of the big sponsors of Pirates activities on Nigerian waters were raided from different locations in Lagos and outside Lagos. One of the kingpins sponsoring the Act, Capt. Nicholas Okotie was arrested along with the team in Lagos even as one of his vessels, MT Ejenavi has been impounded by NIMASA.
Parading the suspects to journalists in Lagos yesterday, Director General of NIMASA, Mr. Patrick Akpobolokemi explained that the Agency clamped down on the team as they were getting set to embark on another operation.
Akpobolokemi said that the group and their company, Great Eagle Maritime Limited, has been under great surveillance by NIMASA for a long time and that the Agency decided to move in on the oil thieves at the early hours of Tuesday.
Akpobolokemi said that the groups were arrested in connection with the siphoning of petroleum products, pipeline vandalization and kidnapping which one of them is currently standing trial for.
“They are part of the network, the cartel that has caused a lot of problems for us for a long time, they have been engaging in organized crime for a long time within our maritime domain, high jacking of vessels, kidnapping and so on”
“They have been on our surveillance list, we have been monitoring them and we picked them from different locations, some outside the state. One of the sponsors that masterminded these activities is also here with them” he said.
Explaining the mode of operation adopted by the thieves, the NIMASA boss said that If a tanker vessel has 10,000 tonnes of petroleum products, they go there and siphon 3,000 tonnes and they go ahead to they sell it.
“They go back again to kidnap and break oil pipes, there is nothing that they have not been doing but today the law has caught up with them. They have been bringing down the reputation of this country in the committee of nations” he lameted.
Akpobolokemi however explained that the arrest was made possible as result of the partnership between NIMASA, the Nigerian Navy and the Global West Vessel Specialist Limited.
He also appealed to the Nigerian Judiciary to ensure that the arrested pirates get proper prosecution. He expressed discomfort by the way past cases have been treated.
“If we do our job and they do their job the country will make progress, we have made so many arrests and some of them will come out on the streets”
“Our law enforcement A
NIMASA DG, Patrick Akpobolokemi
gencies are not spared in this matter, if you want to solve the problem of high-jacking, piracy, illegal bunkering and oil theft, something must be done and the right steps must be taken” he said.
The Honourable Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola has deposited three Instruments of Accession to IMO Conventions signed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu with the global body.
He did so on Tuesday, at the headquarters of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which acts as the repository for these conventions.
This move, coming a few weeks after Nigeria declared its intention to contest election for a seat on the IMO Council, is expected to enhance Nigeria’s maritime governance and align its practices with international standards, promoting maritime safety, security, and environmental protection.
Shortly after the presentation ceremonies, Oyetola informed the IMO Secretary General, Arsenio Dominguez, of the President’s commitment to ensuring that Nigeria aligns with international maritime standards regarding maritime safety, security, and sustainable marine practices.
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He also called on the IMO to extend technical support to Nigeria.
In his words, “These instruments, duly acceded by His Excellency, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, signify Nigeria’s continued commitment to aligning with international maritime standards, ensuring maritime safety and security, and promoting sustainable marine practices.
“We hereby request tailored technical cooperation under the Integrated Technical Cooperation Programme (ITCP) to enhance Nigeria’s compliance with IMO conventions and improve our maritime governance and implementation of the instruments we submitted today.”
On his part, Dominguez, acknowledged with appreciation the formal deposition of the Instruments of Accession, stating that it underscores Nigeria’s steadfast commitment to aligning with global maritime standards.
“I congratulate Nigeria for its exceptional efforts in acceding to these six critical IMO instruments. I encourage continued momentum by securing presidential assent to additional key conventions. We at the IMO remains fully committed to supporting Nigeria through technical cooperation and capacity-building initiatives to ensure the successful implementation of these instruments,” he stated.
The instruments Oyetola handed over to Dominguez include the instrument of accession to the 2005 Protocol to the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Fixed Platforms Located on the Continental Shelf (SUA Protocol 2005), the instrument of accession to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping for Fishing Vessel Personnel (STCW-F), and the instrument of accession to the Protocol Relating to Intervention on the High Seas in Cases of Pollution by Substances Other Than Oil (Intervention Protocol 1973).
It was gathered that three other Instruments of Accession signed by President Tinubu are undergoing further steps to complete the processes for their deposit.
Funds accrued under the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) are intact and currently held with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) under the Single Treasury Account (TSA).
This assertion was made by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), in a statement in Lagos on Tuesday.
The clarification became necessary to address “a misleading publication alleging that funds have disappeared from the CVFF account”.
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The statement reads, in part, “The report of a missing money is both misleading and false.
“For the record, the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund, securely held in the NIMASA account at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), remains intact. There has been no disappearance of funds, and no illegal transactions, as the article suggests. This misinformation is a figment of the authors imagination, aimed at undermining NIMASA’s integrity, and mislead the public about the Agency’s operations.
“The Management of NIMASA will ensure that the CVFF is utilised in line with its statutory purpose. NIMASA Director General, Dr Mobereola has assured stakeholders of the safety of funds under the CVFF.”
The statement cited the DG thus, “Let us be clear that the CVFF account at the Central Bank of Nigeria is safe, intact, and secure. We at NIMASA will continue to manage it with the utmost responsibility, and there are no irregularities or illegal activities surrounding the funds. I urge the public to disregard this false narrative and to continue trusting the Agency’s ability to uphold the integrity of Nigeria’s maritime sector”.
It was gathered that the CVFF is a fund established under section 42 of the Coastal and Inland Shipping (Cabotage) Act 2003 to promote the development of indigenous ship acquisition capacity and to provide credit facilities to local maritime operators.
The NIMASA, assured of its commitment “to transparency, accountability, and the advancement of Nigeria’s maritime sector.”
Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo appears eager to deliver the dividends of democracy to his constituents.
This is discernible from the frenzy of activities being witnessed in his first few days on the job, including dissolution of boards, constitution of investigative panels, flagging off of infrastructure projects, among others.
In the bid to address the perennial road traffic congestion negatively impacting economic and social activities in Benin City, the state capital, Gov Okpebholo on Wednesday flagged off the construction of a flyover bridge.
Biztellers reports that the flyover bridge around the popular Ramat Park in the city centre is the first of such in the history of Edo State.
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The Edo State Government made the disclosure in its verified handle on micro-blogging site, X, on Wednesday.
It wrote, “Traffic decongestion: Gov Okpebholo flags off first flyover in Edo.
“Edo State Governor, Sen. Monday Okpebholo has flagged off the construction of a flyover bridge at Ramat Park, Benin City, the State Capital, as part of immediate efforts to reduce traffic congestion in the city.”
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