The Nigerian Navy has recovered over
2000 kegs of 25 litres of stolen petroleum product, containing approximately
50, 000 litres of fuel.
The suspects, carrying their stole product,
were said to have jumped into the water and swam to safety after sighting naval
men who were on midnight patrol, at Tongeji Island, off the boundary between
Benin Republic and Nigeria.
The fleeing suspects allegedly specialised
in smuggling stolen fuel and vandalism of pipelines. They also used to buy
stolen fuel from vandals and take same out of the country through the waters.
Speaking with journalists at the
Naval Base, Apapa, NNS BEECROFT Commander, Commodore Abraham Adaji, said the
arrest came after the navy recovered 218 kegs of 25 litres each of stolen fuel.
He said the product had been handed over to the Nigerian Security and Civil
Defence Corps (NSCDC) on Friday.
Adaji said: "The products were
recovered from Tongeji Island, around Badagry area, on the fringes of Nigeria's
Western border with Republic of Benin. No suspect was arrested because the
occupants of the boat, who were moving towards Badagry, fled and abandoned the
products with the wooden boats upon sighting our patrol boats. They jumped into
the water and swam for safety. Our men are stationed there. That’s why we were
able to make these recoveries. Our men arrested the boats and sent it to our
base here in Lagos."
On why the suspects escaped,
Adaji said: "It’s not a question of not being there. What happened was
that no matter how close a navy boat is, once they sight it, they have two
options- wait with what they were carrying and get arrested or abandon the products
and jump into the water. Most of them used to jump into the water. This is
because they know that their enterprise is illegal. The recoveries were
made at the wee hours of Friday at about 12.25am. It is premature to say where
the products are from, because they have no basis to transport these products
in that quantity.
"We have had issues with
pipeline vandalism and illegal refining of crude oil. The Navy is out to make
sure this is brought to an end. That is why we have intensified our patrols, not
just in the immediate Lagos area, but also to the fringes of our borders.
"
The Commodore said Nigerians were
not aware that there was a very huge price difference between the cost of
petrol in the nation and at the neighbouring countries.
His words: "Petrol sells much
higher at neighbouring countries and this price difference is enough incentive
for criminals who want to evade the law and appropriate channels to smuggle
petroleum products. I wouldn't say directly that these are products of pipeline
vandalism, but these products are most likely meant for local consumption in
Nigeria, which the suspects were taking out to sell at high cost without
passing through appropriate channels."
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