The Office of the Inspector General of Police has secured the forfeiture of two multi-million Naira vessels arrested for illegal oil bunkering.
The vessels, which forfeiture the office of the IGP secured, it was learnt, are MT Harbour Spirit and MT Kali.
The IGP’s office, which secured the forfeiture order from the Federal High Court, also secured the forfeiture of the content of the two vessels to the Federal Government.
The IGP’s office will arraign the crew members on March 1, 2024.
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A combined team of security men, comprising those of the Nigerian Navy, Nigeria Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and prominent private security outfit, Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, arrested the two vessels while they were syphoning illegal crude oil in the creeks of the Niger Delta.
Two Federal High Courts, in different sittings in Abuja, ordered the forfeiture of MT Kali and MT Harbor Spirit to the Federal Government.
While Justice J. K. Omotosho granted the order on the forfeiture of MT Harbour Spirit and its content be forfeited to the Federal Government.
In the case filed by the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, Justice A. Abdulmalik granted the motion for the interim forfeiture of MT Kali and her content to the government.
Justice Omotosho ruled that the Federal Government should hold the MT Harbour Spirit and its content for six weeks to await when anybody would show why the forfeiture should not be made permanent.
The judge also ordered the sale of the stolen crude oil contained in the impounded ocean-going vessel by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.
The Judge further directed that the proceeds from the sale be deposited by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited in an interest yielding account to be determined by Chief Registrar of the Federal High Court.
A certified true copy of the order showed that the court directed that an affidavit of compliance with its order be filed before it within 72 hours after the sale of the confiscated petroleum products contained in the ship.
The MT Harbour was arrested through the concerted efforts of Tantita Security Services Limited and the special task force set up by the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla.
The MT Kali was arrested with 20 crew and accomplices from a community while syphoning crude oil from Pennington Oil field of the Anglo-Dutch energy giant, Shell Petroleum Development Company, in Bayelsa State on January 11, 2024.
The combined team of Tantita operatives and the Navy arrested the MT Harbour Spirit on February 4, 2024, while investigation into the arrest of MT Kali was ongoing.
The MT Harbour Spirit, a Moldovan vessel, was caught while stealing crude oil from Sengana oilfields in the coastal axis of Bayelsa State.
Similarly, Justice J. O Abdulmalik ruled on the case, Charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR/18/2024 B/W: INSPECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE V. MT KALI & 22 ORS, in which the vessel was arraigned alongside two crew members.
The cases involving the two vessels are being prosecuted by the IGP’s office with detailed information from the Head, Investigation, IGP-STPIB, Omar John Sini, a Chief Superintendent of Police, and Captain Warrendi Enisuoh, Tantita’s head of operations.
In recent times, the combined team of security forces and Tantita operatives have succeeded in the arrest of several vessels involved in the theft of the nation’s crude oil resources, thereby increasing daily oil production in the country.
In the first two months of the year, three of such rogue vessels have been tracked and arrested with the concerted efforts of the Armed Forces of Nigeria and TSSL operatives.
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