The Nigerian Navy in Lagos on Wednesday said it intercepted a wooden boat with outboard engines and 1,400 jerry cans of Petroleum Motor Spirit (PMS) all valued at N20 million.
The Commander, Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) BEECROFT, Rear Adm. Okon Eyo, made the disclosure while speaking to journalists at the command in Apapa, Lagos.
Eyo was represented by the Executive Officer, NNS BEECROFT, Capt. Paul Dogara.
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The commander, who said 27 empty drums were also intercepted, added that the vandals on sighting naval men fled and abandoned the products.
“The NNS BEECROFT, based on intelligence, arrested a Cotonou boat at Akaraba sea side area of Atlas Cove, Lagos, at about 01:00 hours on Feb. 8.
“The Cotonou boat has 1,400 jerry cans of 25 litres of suspected PMS, 27 empty drums and 5 x 7SHP outboard engines.
“The estimated suspected stolen PMS is 35,000 litres valued at about N5,075,000 only while the Cotonou boat and the outboard engines are valued at about N15 million only.
“The total sum of the arrested boat with its contents is N20,075,000 only,” he said.
He noted that the Atlas Cove was central to reception and distribution of refined petroleum products to other Nigerian National Petroleum Corperation (NNPC) depots at Mosimi, Ore, Ibadan and Shagamu areas.
“Consequently, the facility has become very attractive to vandals, petroleum thieves and pirates.
“This arrest by the base represents a major achievement of our constitutional mandate and a set back to the logistics requirements of the criminals,” he said.
Eyo said that the base would continue to dominate the nation’s waterways in order to prevent the theft of the nation’s wealth.
“This is in line with the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas’, zero tolerance to acts of illegalities in the nation’s maritime space,” he said.
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