Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba
The Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba, Tuesday accused some officers and men of the Nigerian Navy of complicity in crude oil theft and illegal bunkering activities in the Niger Delta, warning that anyone caught would be sanctioned. Ezeoba, while addressing the men and officers of the Central Naval Command of the Nigerian Navy in Yenagoa, as part of his annual inspection tour of naval commands in the country, lamented that the Brass/Akassa corridor of the nation's waterways under the Central Command’s watch was particularly notorious for pipeline vandalism and crude oil theft.
He said it was based on this that he ordered the deployment of more and newer naval ships in the area to combat the menace.
The Naval Chief added that it also prompted the navy to join hands with the Joint Task Force on the issue and urged his men to brace up for the new challenge.
The Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Andrew Yakubu, had recently said Nigeria loses about $12 billion annually in revenue to oil crude oil theft.
Although Ezeoba did not state what action had been taken against naval personnel indicted for oil theft, he, however, told the officers that the navy would no longer tolerate criminality, adding that commanders of formations have been made to sign a performance bond that stipulates that any erring officer would be sanctioned.
He said as part of efforts to reposition the navy, the force had established a website to educate people about oil-related activities in the Niger Delta region, adding that anyone caught would not be allowed to plead ignorance as an excuse for his action.
He explained that the new mandate given to the navy by President Goodluck Jonathan is to eradicate oil theft in the Niger Delta region.
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