Following their interception and parade, two Federal High Courts in Abuja ordered the forfeiture of two illegal oil refueling vessels, MT KALI and MT Harbor Spirit, to the Federal Government.
The court also ordered the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPCL) to sell the contents of the vessel where the crude oil was allegedly stolen.
The sale order signals a departure from the regressive practice in which security agents have burned violative vessels, along with their contents, as a deterrent to oil thieves, further endangering the environment.
Accordingly, the court directed that the proceeds from the sale of the content shall be deposited by NNPCL in a bank account and the interest thereon shall be determined by the Chief Registrar of the Federal High Court.
Justice JK Omotosho has granted an interim order of confiscation in a case filed by the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Kayode Egbetokun, pending any counter-petition within six months, and ordered that MT Harbor Spirit and its contents be transferred to the Federal Government. ordered it to be confiscated.
According to a certified true copy of the order, the court directed that an affidavit of compliance with the order be filed with the court within 72 hours after the sale of the seized petroleum products.
Five charges were laid against the vessel and its crew under case number FHC/ABJ/CR/60/2024.
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The charges were downgraded by the Inspector General of Police, Idris Abdullahi Mohammed, on behalf of the Inspector General of Police, Special Task Force on Petroleum and Illegal Bunkering (IGP-STFPI), headed by Deputy Commissioner Lot Ranto Garba. of the police.
In an earlier landmark judgment, the Sisters Federal High Court in Abuja had ordered that MT KALI and its contents be forfeited to federal authorities.
Charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR/18/2024 B/W: Inspector General of Police V. MT KALI and 22 ORS Police arraigned the vessel and 22 crew members before Justice JO Abdulmalik.
Judge Abdulmalik also granted a motion against the federal government for interim confiscation of MT KALI and its contents.
The case is being prosecuted to a patriotically logical conclusion by the TSSNL led by the Executive Director of Operations and Technical Services, Captain Waliedi Enisuo and IGP-STFPI.
The investigation and prosecution of the two refueling vessels and their crew members was being diligently coordinated by Mr. Enisuo and the IGP-STPIB Investigation Director, Chief of Police Omar John Sini.
This is the first time in recent times that the oil thieves and their barons have been indicted and publicly prosecuted.
Recalling that MT KALI and MT Harbor Spirit were intercepted by operatives of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Ltd. (TSSNL) in conjunction with the Special Task Force established by the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogara. please.
On January 11, 2024, the MT KALI was arrested along with 20 crew members while pumping crude oil from the Pennington oil field of Anglo-Dutch energy giant Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) in Bayelsa State.
A few weeks later, while the investigation into MT KALI's arrest was still ongoing, TSSNL arrested MT Harbor Spirit on February 4.
The Moldovan vessel was seized while siphoning crude oil from the Sengana oil field in the Bayelsa State coastal axis of the Niger Delta.
nigeria tribune
