The Commander of the Nigeria Navy Ship Victory, Rotimi Oderemi, said that they have sealed up a tank farm in Calabar following intelligence report from the military’s joint task force in the south-south zone, “Operation Delta Safe’. He made this known during a press briefing in Calabar. Part of the report, according to him, was linked to storage of illegally refined diesel in the tank farm. “Based on the report, the tank farm was sealed and samples of the suspected illegally-refined diesel were taken for laboratory analysis,” he said.
“Investigation is ongoing. I advise business owners and tank farm operators to operate within the confines of the law by obtaining necessary approvals for their operations.”
Oderemi narrated how a joint operation of the Nigerian and Cameroonian Navies led to the interception of a vessel laden with 30,000 litres of crude oil suspected to have been stolen from Nigeria on February 24.
He said when the vessel, MV Jasmine, was inspected at Ibaka in Mbo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom, it intercepted by a Nigerian Navy patrol boat, NNS Ekulu.
“Upon noticing NNS Ekulu, the suspected vessel proceeded to the international waters between Nigeria and Cameroon, just as NNS Ekulu was in its hot pursuit,” he added.
“Resulting from our collaboration and with the support of the Cameroonian Navy, the vessel was intercepted and brought to Ibaka with eight Nigerians onboard.”
The commander said Pere-Ebiye Abraham, captain of the intercepted vessel, claimed that he went into illegal bunkering because of economic hardship.
