Oil theft for many, is considered simply as a way of getting one’s share of the “NATIONAL CAKE”, and this has persisted for far to long in the view many.
The Commander of Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Delta, Commodore Aliyu Sule, has identified impunity and slow pace of adjudication as factors responsible for the persistence of illegal bunkering in the Niger Delta region.
Commodore Sule made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Warri.
According to him, the process of trial of arrested suspects for oil theft was slow which encouraged the perpetrators to easily go back into the illicit act. He said the cases of more than five ships apprehended by his command over stolen oil since 2005 were yet to be resolved in the courts.
“It takes a longer time for justice to be done in matters of oil theft that is why the illicit business persists.
“So suspects should be tried almost immediately and jailed,’’ he said.
Sule emphasized the need for effective surveillance and speedy trial of oil thieves, adding that these were germane in eradicating illegal bunkering in the region.
He noted that the approach of his command was yielding positive result.
“We will continue to go after them until they desist from it,’’ he said.
Sule assumed leadership of the NNS Delta in April, had destroyed 28 illegal refineries and over 2,700 metric tons of crude oil in less than three months.
The exercise was carried out in three separate operations between June and August in Warri South and Warri South-West Local Government Areas of Delta.
He said that in the recent operation in Kantu forest on Aug. 13 in Warri South-West, nine illegal refineries and over 700 metric tons of crude oil were destroyed.
He said that three generating sets and five portable pumping machines were recovered in the raid.
“Again, my men raided Kantu forest and destroyed nine illegal refineries and about 700 metric tons of crude oil over a large expanse of land,’’ he said.
Commodore Sule said the determination of the navy to combat illegal oil deal was in line with the Chief of Naval Staff’s zero tolerance on crude oil theft and other illegalities in the waterways.
He warned the perpetrators against the consequences of their action warning that whoever is caught would face the full weight of the law.
