Tinubu Told To Sack Naval Chief Amid Allegations of Crude Oil Theft, Corruption
- An appeal has been made to President Bola Tinubu to consider the dismissal of the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla
- The embattled Ogalla is facing a series of accusations ranging from oil bunkering schemes to contract splitting
- These allegations came to light when an online newspaper published an extensive investigative report revealing some of these wrongdoings
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Legit.ng journalist Segun Adeyemi has over 9 years of experience covering political events, civil societies, courts, and metro
FCT, Abuja - A coalition of five groups affiliated with The Middle Belt Pan-Nigerian Forum has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to sanction the dismissal of the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla.
The coalition, represented by spokesperson Dr Danladi Ceceko Dangana, contends that the Naval Chief's continued tenure might hinder the investigation into allegations of his involvement in crude theft, contract splitting, and other corrupt activities.
Source: Twitter
These accusations were initially brought to light by Concerned Nigerians, a coalition of civil society organisations led by prominent activists and lawyers, including Barrister Pelumi Olajengbesi, Esq, Comrade Deji Adeyanju, Comrade Mohammed Suleiman SK, Barrister Aisha Waliki, Esq, and Comrade Ogunwoye Samson, in a petition addressed to the President via the Ministry of Defense.
The recent accusations are problematic given the ongoing economic difficulties in Nigeria since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu took office.
The coalition urges the federal government, led by President Tinubu, to promptly address the allegations against the corrupt Naval Chief through a comprehensive investigation.
There is concern that any delay in action could lead to irreversible harm to the nation's crude oil reserves.
The coalition is particularly disturbed by the Naval Chief's dismissal of the allegations, attributing them solely to an exclusive news report from a media platform.
The allegations
An online platform recently published a comprehensive report outlining allegations against the Naval Chief, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla.
The report suggests his purported involvement in facilitating the loosely coordinated bunkering of Nigerian crude, participating in multibillion-naira contract-splitting fraud, and engaging in other corrupt activities.
Based on preliminary investigations by the newspaper, it is estimated that the Naval Chief may have accepted bribes exceeding $170 million in the last six months alone.
Credible civil society groups operating under the Concerned Nigerians banner have submitted a petition with evidence to the president, questioning whether the Naval Chief will deny these accusations.
In their petition, the groups assert that Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, who oversees Naval officers providing security, allegedly played a role in incidents of crude oil theft.
One specific case involves the MT PRAISEL vessel, wherein the Nigerian Navy is said to have permitted its patrol in Nigerian waterways under their protection.
The coalition maintains that they possess supporting evidence, including an authenticated video depicting the Nigerian Navy escorting the MT PRAISEL vessel during the night.
Emmanuel Ogalla: Group appeals to Tinubu to ignore allegations of oil theft against naval chief
Contrastingly, another group urged President Tinubu to turn deaf ears to the oil theft allegation against the Chief of Naval Staff, VA Emmanuel Ogalla.
The navy chief is accused of conspiring in oil theft operations and contract splitting in the oil-rich region.
However, a coalition of civil society organisations has described it as a distraction by the real perpetrators of the act.
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Source: Legit.ng
