Nigerian Navy arrests two vessels, 25 crew members with suspected stolen crude oil

The Nigerian Navy has handed over two vessels – MT Bright Hope and MV Johanna 11 – to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Bonny, Rivers State.

The vessels are arrested by operatives of the Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base Bonny with 25 crew members.

The Commanding Officer of the Bonny Base, Capt. Rufus Taye Oladejo, told journalists 13 crew members were arrested onboard MT Bright Hope and 12 onboard MV Johanna 11.

According to Oladejo, MT Bright Hope was arrested along the Bonny waterways with 1,371,256 litres of stolen crude oil and 62,431 litres of illegal refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) on September 10.

READ ALSO: Nigerian Navy intercepts 1,209 bags of smuggled rice, arrests three suspects in Calabar

He added that MV Johanna 11 was arrested with 394, 000 litres of product suspected to be AGO without the Navy approval on July 14.

The commandant stressed that activities of illegal refineries had reduced drastically due to the Navy synergy with other sister agencies in policing Nigeria’s waterways.

In his remarks, EFCC detective, Arasah Shaks, who received the vessels and the suspects, said the commission would commence an investigation on the matter immediately.

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