Take Responsibility For Crude Oil Theft- Ozekhome charges Nigeria Navy
Mike Ozekhome, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), says the Nigerian Navy needs to take responsibility for crude oil theft in the country.
Ozekhome spoke on Wednesday at the ongoing Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) annual general conference at the national stadium in Abuja.
He said the navy and top government officials are to blame for oil theft, adding that they have the responsibility to protect the nation’s territorial waters.
“If you have a security man in your house and thieves invade your house, you will definitely blame the security man,” NAN quoted Ozekhome as saying.
“The Navy is saddled with the responsibility of protecting our territorial waters of crude oil theft and so it cannot say it is free from theft of crude oil in the country.
“How can the Navy say that they do not know how a huge vessel will disappear from the high sea as if it is a spirit?
“These vessels that carry this stolen crude are escorted by security personnel. Who are these personnel? Is it not the Navy’s responsibility?”
The lawyer asked the navy to call out persons responsible for oil theft for prosecution.
“How can you arrest a vessel with crude worth billions of naira and only impose a fine of N500,000?” he asked.
Ozekhome urged the Nigerian government to empower and employ the youths, adding that this will stop them from engaging in illegal activities.
NAVY PERSONNEL RESPOND
In his reaction, Obiora Anyikwa of the Nigerian Navy, identified crude oil theft, smuggling and illegal refineries as major security threats in Nigeria’s maritime environment.
Anyikwa said due to the efforts of the navy, Nigeria has been removed from the list of piracy prone countries.
He enumerated one of the major challenges confronting the navy in the fight against piracy and crude oil theft to include participation of non state actors.
“Participation of non state actors undermine the authority of the navy in performing its duties,” he said.
“Lack of prosecutorial powers and lack of appropriate maritime legislations as well as lack of funding are some other challenges.”
He said empowering maritime lawyers to prosecute maritime related cases would go a long way in making the job of the navy less tedious.
He identified maritime surveillance, response capacity and enforcement of maritime laws as the most efficient ways to curb the activities of pirates and oil thieves.
Also speaking as a panelist, Patrick Effah, a navy personnel, decried what he described as enormous misinformation about the institution.
He agreed that corruption and compromise were some of the factors responsible for the thriving business of piracy and crude oil theft.
He also lamented that there are some forces in government making their job difficult.
“When we arrest a vessel with abundant evidence of illegal crude, we are inundated with court orders to release such vessels,” Effah said.
“Even when they are prosecuted, very minimal fines are given and they are released. How can that be the fault of the navy?”
One of the sacroscant facts that earns the vibrantly outspoken Legal Luminary and the Senior Advocate of Nigeria and a Ph.D holder in Law a Author of many Law Books Mike Ozakhome is his high level of patrioticism and telling the Authorities what they either like or hate to hear as long as it is in the public interest.
Dr Mike Ozakhome SAN the legal Oracle has spoken again but rather than scapegoating or making excuses let’s give kudos to President Bola Tinubu for creating the Ministry of Marine And Blue Economy and placing it under the iconic and very brilliant Minister Adegboyega Oyetola.
It can be part of the responsibilities of his Ministry through the National Assembly to update the Marine Laws especially in the area of piracy and crude oil theft with a view to making them punitive enough and with far reaching consequences against the offenders to curb this globally ignominious offence that rubbishes the integrity of our Country in the global space . Make no mistake .
This is also one of the areas in our judicial system that needs Special Courts with incorruptible , selfless , Godfearing and patriotic Jurists to head in my candid opinion .
I think we can still get them .
Taking all the high profile cases like these and the humongous looting of our commonwealth to our regular Courts is not different from grandmams’ tales by the moonlight of the Tortoise and his wife Yanribo .
It is just playing to the gallery and making a mockery of the tax payers and the Nigerian people who because of these
crimes suffer unavoidable untold hardships .
President Bola Tinubu , Minister Gboyega Oyetola , the National Assembly , the Judiciary and the Navy should therefore synergize and come up with legislations and very tight security architecture to eliminate this ignominious act of stealing our crude oil and ferrying it out of the Country without qualms or when the crooks are caught it is ” go home , your sins are forgiven but be smarter next time .”
It must stop . Right now !