Nigeria is to charge 23 people with oil theft after the country’s navy intercepted two ships carrying large quantities of oil and refined fuel.
11 Nigerians, two Ghanaians, and 10 Indians will be charged by the authorities following the successful captures of two ships – the Mt Akshay and the Mt Eve – in the Niger Delta region by the Nigerian naval force at the close of 2012.
“…the navy HQ has directed that MT Akshay with its cargo and the suspects onboard should be over to the EFCC (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission) for further investigation and prosecution,” announced Rear Admiral Johnson Olutoyin of the naval central command.
On board the Mt Akshay at the time of its interception was found 158,000 litres of crude oil, which the authorities believe to be stolen. The navy forces found 10 Indian nationals and four Nigerians manning the ship – all to face charges.
The second boat, the Mt Eve was carrying 75,000 litres of refined fuel at the time of the ship’s capture, also thought to be stolen. Nine Nigerians and two Ghanaians were on board this ship, all of who will also be charged.
The move to bring oil thieves to justice before the authorities sees Nigeria step up attempts to tackle the problem of oil theft increasingly plaguing the country and private companies operating in the region.
It is estimated that approximately 180,000 of barrels of oil per day are stolen in Nigeria – with oil thieves also causing substantial infrastructural damage to companies operating pipelines and performing drilling activities in the region.
In addition to the financial cost of the damage caused by criminals, the environment – particularly in the Niger Delta region – has been negatively affected by repeated oil spills caused by oil thieves attempting to siphon off reserves.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria’s Finance Minister has spoken up putting the amount of oil lost to oil thieves at one fifth of the country’s total output. Meanwhile, the International Energy Agency has estimated that the country loses $7 billion annually due to oil thefts.
