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B N W: Biafra Nigeria World News |
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Navy, Police, EFCC chiefs to face Reps' panel over missing ship
THE Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), the Inspector-General (IG) of Police and the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) will be among senior public officials to appear before the House of Representatives in its investigation into the mysterious disappearance from detention of an oil bunkering ship, "MT African Pride."
The investigation, which will begin on Wednesday by the House Committees on Navy and Petroleum Resources, is being conducted on the mandate of the House given on the basis of a motion brought by Halima Agoda, Andrew Uchendu and seven others and passed during plenary session on the floor yesterday.
The mandate given the committees chaired by Anthony Azugbemi and Cairo Ojougbo empowers them to investigate the circumstances leading to the disappearance of the ship, which had been arrested by the Nigerian Navy for alleged bunkering of 15,000 barrels of crude oil worth about N20 million.
Impounded by the Navy for a period of six months and listed to be used as an exhibit for the prosecution of its seafaring crew, the vessel disappeared three days after it was transferred to the custody of the Nigerian Police.
"The vessel is supposed to have brought refined fuel into the country sometime last year. After leaving Nigeria, it was allegedly reloaded with crude oil without the approval of the authorities, which are responsible for giving such approval", explained Uchendu, adding that investigation had actually started on the matter with the Police and the Navy taking charge of securing the vessel.
Also in the mandate issued by the House to the committees is the investigation into the methods used for illegal export of the country's crude oil and the various ways and means used by the bunkerers to obtain the oil.
The committees are also to report their findings to the House within five weeks and make recommendations with regards to deterring further bunkering and sanctioning of the parties involved in the disappearance of the vessel.
Azugbemi who spoke to journalists on emerging from the chambers claimed that the House is still not sure whether the vessel disappeared while in the custody of the Police or the Navy.
"The Navy by law is not the agency to detain. It was for this reason that the Police were called in to take custody. But we are yet to unravel whether the disappearance took place while the vessel was with the Navy or while with the Police or in the process of the transfer," Azugbemi explained.
The House was also informed yesterday by the motion that some officers and ratings of the Navy had already been court-martialled and disciplined for their alleged involvement in the loading of crude oil into the vessel.
In a related development, the House called on Federal Government to conduct a UN-supervised plebiscite in the disputed Bakassi peninsula as a way of resolving the looming crisis. The handing over of the territory in line with the judgment of the International Court of Justice in The Hague is scheduled for September 15.
Moving the motion for the plebiscite, Essien Ayi (Cross River) averred that Bakassi Local Council in Cross River State is one of the Councils recognized by the 1999 Constitution in the first schedule, section 3, part 1.
He further averred that the inhabitants of Bakassi are of Efik extraction pursuant to Articles 2 and 3 of the treaty of protection entered into with Great Britain in 1884 stressing that the treaty did not in any way confer sovereignty over the people of old Calabar on Britain.
He said it was with dismay that the people heard the judgment of the World Court ceding the area to the Republic of Cameroun. Ayi therefore urged the House to ask that:
Abubakar Momoh (Edo) supporting the motion said the decision of the World Court, if implemented, will violate Section 42 of the 1999 Constitution. Edward Ogon (Cross River) said no country had ever implemented the ICJ ruling. Citing the instances of Israel and Turkey. He suggested that Nigeria should not abide by the judgment.
Abike Dabiri (Lagos) commended the motion and appealed to other members to support it. The motion was unanimously passed with the amendment by Ita Enang that a committee be set up to study the judgment and advise the House.
Briefing journalists alongside a delegation of the Cross River State government, including traditional rulers, Ayi vowed that should the Federal Government go ahead to hand over Bakassi, there would be violence and chaos in the area because the people would not accept to go to Cameroun.
"Bakassi Local Council is presently like a time bomb, which may explode any moment from now. There is serious tension in the local council which if not properly managed, may see this country experiencing what is presently happening in Sudan, they vowed, adding "the people of Bakassi and Efik of Nigeria have vowed to rather die than be made to become Camerounians."
They blamed the entire situation on the legal team that represented the country's case at The Hague saying they did not do a thorough job.
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