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I rejected N14m bribe to release ship, says naval chief
By Alex Olise
ONE of the three top Naval chiefs facing trial over the missing oil ship, MT African Pride, yesterday told the court martial how he allegedly rejected a bribe offer of N14 million ($100,000) from a man suspected to be linked to the missing vessel.
Rear Admiral Ibinabo Bob-Manuel, who was the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Western Naval Command, when the ship was arrested, said the offer came from one Shola requesting him to release the ship.
"At the first instance, the man came seeking my assistance to release the ship. I rejected and threatened to arrest him. So, he went back and few hours later sent a text message promising to give me $15,000 but I didn't give him any reply. Few hours later, he sent another text message, this time he increased the offer to $100,000 but I still maintained my ground to maintain the regulation guiding the operations of the Nigeria Navy until I was deployed to the National War College," he said.
Bob-Manuel is being tried for a two-count charge alongside two other top Naval chiefs - Rear Admiral Francis Agbiti, former Chief of Training and Operations (CITOPs) and Rear Admiral Samuel Kolawole.
Kolawole was the Flag Officer Commanding Western Naval Command when the vessel disappeared under the custody of NNS Becroft, an arm of the command.
Bob-Manuel was yesterday being led in evidence by his team of counsel led by Mr. Bayo Ojo who is also the current Nigerian Bar Association chairman.
Bob-Manuel said he told the Chief of Naval Staff all that was going on at that time.
He added that a former Minister of Transport asked him to release the ship but he refused.
Many observers had said Bob-Manuel should not have been listed among those to face trial considering the fact that he was the officer who was in charge when the ship was arrested.
Bob-Manuel quickly invited the media to inform the public of the arrest before he was transferred.`
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