"Niger-Delta Naval Officers Stealing Oil Should Be Fired": Ohanaeze Ndigbo Writes Tinubu

• The youth wing of the influential south-eastern socio-cultural group Ohanaeze Ndigbo has appealed to Tinubu to sack current Naval leaders in the region
• The group asserted that despite the overwhelming presence of the force, cases of oil theft still persist, indicating the force is not competent enough to handle the task
• The group then pleaded with the president to appoint an Igbo man as a replacement for the current Naval bosses

The youth wing of the apex south-eastern socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, has informed President Bola Tinubu that the brains behind the incessant theft of oil are most likely the people appointed to safeguard it.

The group explained that despite how richly equipped the naval force in the region is, there are still constant reports of oil thievery, which suggests that the security outfit is either slacking on duty or they are the hands behind the crimes.

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In a statement made public by the national president of the group, Okwu Nnabuike, a case that happened recently on May 3 was mentioned, where the tanker MT Montagu, along with MT Prestigious, discharged 104,4033 barrels of oil.

The petroleum, Okwu detailed, was loaded from MT Byranston stationed at Newcross facility, SAN Barth OML 24 Marginal oil field.

He said: “MT Montagu only discharged MT Prestigious and did not take away any product from it. The ship was arrested by private security and was released by the naval officials who said that they were acting on orders from above after a series of agitation by stakeholders.

“Even when there was a counter order that the ship be re-arrested, the navy officials allowed another tank vessel to either evacuate the exhibit or dilute it, in the name of taking samples, which ideally should be taken in a small bottle for lab test. What was the vessel doing there, as shown in one of the pictures?”

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Okwu argued that the only logical conclusion about the disappearance of the crude oil was that it was facilitated by naval officers. Or even stolen by them.

He then called on Tinubu to fire the heads of the naval force in the region and replace them with Igbo men.

He jogged Tinubu's memory by reminding him of how supportive the region was to him during the 2023 general election, appealing that he repay their loyalty by appointing one of theirs to the helm.

Nigeria lost $46 billion worth of crude oil to theft

Legit.ng had earlier reported that Nigeria had recorded a loss amounting to $46 billion to oil thievery by unknown individuals.

The loss happened between 2009 and 2020, according to a NEITI report released recently. The development comes as NNPC said there had been 114 cases of oil theft between August 4 and 11, 2023.

Source: Legit.ng