Navy arrests two oil thieves

The Nigerian Navy has arrested two suspects and seized a wooden boat carrying 12,000 litres of Automated Gas Oil (AGO) at the Okarki waterfront in Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers State. Commander Nanmar Lekan of the Nigerian Navy Ship Soroh disclosed this during a parade of the suspects at the Okarki waterfront on Friday.

Lekan explained that the arrest and seizure align with the mandate of Operation Delta Sanity, which targets anti-crude oil theft, anti-pipeline vandalism, and the elimination of illegal refining sites, among other objectives. He said, “Relying on intelligence from the good citizens of this country, we received credible information about an attempt to move illegally refined AGO, commonly known as diesel, from the Okarki River.”

“We dispatched our men to the location and successfully arrested two suspects and seized the boat. The quantity of illegally refined AGO is estimated at 12,000 litres,” Lekan added.

One of the suspects, Clement Fimeya, claimed he was involved in the activity to support his four children due to unemployment. He pleaded for forgiveness and vowed never to engage in illegal activities again if granted a pardon by the relevant security agency.

Lekan stated that the suspects and the seized products would be handed over to the appropriate security agency, following the standard procedure for handling such cases.