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Missing ship: Reps summon Agunloye over
bribery allegation
By Chris Agbambu
Deputy
Bureau Chief
and Uchenna Awom
National
Assembly
Correspondent
(Abuja)
Legislators
probing the circumstances surrounding the missing oil vessel, MV African
Pride, have summoned former Minister of State for Defence
(Navy), Olu Agunloye, to appear before it next week.
The
directive was issued on Wednesday by the House Committee on Navy after Tolu Jinadu, the man alleged to be
the bribery conduit to the Inspector General of Police (IG), Tafa Balogun,
testified that he was detained for one month for failing to pass on N5 million
to the IG for the release of another detained ship used for illegal oil
bunkering, “M.V. Jimoh”.
As
the summons were sent out, some Naval officers protested to President Olusegun
Obasanjo over the constitution of the court martial to try three rear admirals
implicated by the Board of Inquiry (BOI) on the missing African Pride.
Agunloye,
according to Committee Chairman Anthony Aziegbemi, was the former minister
named by former Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Western Naval Command Rear
Admiral Bob Manuel as the one who put pressure on his command to accept the
$100,000 (N13.8million) bribe offered by one Shola to release African Pride.
Bob
Manuel had told the panel penultimate week that a former minister met and
pleaded with him to accept the
offer from “some characters”, led by Shola, an offer raised from
$15,000.
On
Wednesday, Aziegbemi told newsmen that the “mystery former
minister” is Agunloye and that his panel has summoned him to come and
explain his role in the matter next week.
However,
Jinadu admitted that Isa Aderinto, owner of M.V Jimoh approached
him at police headquarters to assist in releasing the ship, using his closeness
to Balogun.
Aderinto
offered to give him N20 million if the ship was released, he alleged, a deal to
which he objected.
He
said to his surprise, he was arrested in Kano on May 4 and while in detention,
was asked to return N5 million to the police as a pre-condition for his release
on June 4.
Jinadu
stated that he was re-arrested and locked up at Garki Area 10, Abuja on fresh
charges of illegal oil bunkering when he failed to release the N5 million.
On
cross-examination, he admitted that he had known Tafa Balogun for the past
three to four years when he was the Assistant Inspector General of Police.
Meanwhile,
Aziegbemi has faulted the plan by the Navy to court martial some of its
officers in connection with the matter, saying it is being done in haste as
several more others may be involved.
His
views gelled with those of Naval officers who protested to Obasanjo over the
constitution of the court martial to try three rear admirals implicated in the
matter.
The
group claimed that an unspecified number of officers have already been court
martialled and that it would be “calamitous” for another three
admirals to face the same fate, whereas, for instance, the problem of the ship
started long before Bob Manuel resumed at his old command.
Besides,
they said there had been a problem in the Western Naval Command before he
headed it and that while he was about to settle down and put things right, the
ship drama reared its head.
The
officers, who called themselves concerned officers, claimed that there is an
easy calm in the Navy, expressing reservations that the best of the present
crop of admirals are being sacrificed over the vessel saga.
They
urged Obasanjo to intervene before the best Naval brains are lost.
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