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B N W: Biafra Nigeria World News |
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Naval chief blames police over missing ship
AN insight into the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of the bunkering ship, MT African Pride, seized by the Nigerian Navy came yesterday with the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Samuel Afolabi, accusing the Nigeria Police of masterminding it.
Afolabi who testified before the House Committee on Navy at the on-going public hearing on the matter, confessed that he got the report of the missing ship 48 hours after the incident just as he insinuated that there might have been similar cases in the past because ships were found to have changed names after being handed over to the Police.
Tracing the build-up to the incident, the Naval boss said that due to pressure from different quarters on the seized ships, 21 in all, the President called a meeting of the security chiefs where the Inspector-General of Police, Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Director-General of the State Security Service (SSS) and the Minister of Transport on January 29.
At that meeting, he said, the President directed that the ships be released to the Police for prosecution of the crew but that before then, the NNPC should evacuate the crude in the ships.
Having complied with all the conditions, Afolabi said, the 21 ships were handed over to the Police.
The Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) who tendered several memos to buttress his position, however, said that the naval authority was shocked that the Police went to negotiate with a Naval Commander in Lagos for the security of the ships without passing through the headquarters.
He said it was in the process that a naval rating was put in charge, an arrangement, he said, which would not have been allowed in the Navy.
Lamenting that there was break-down of security arrangement with other security agencies abandoning their responsibilities at the nation's waters, Afolabi said if the Inspector-General, Mr. Tafa Balogun, had approached him, he would not have subscribed to that type of security arrangement.
"The arrangement they made was so loose that ordinary rating was put on duty. So, many things happened. If the IG had approached me, I wouldn't have obliged him. Somebody discussed with the unit in Lagos for personnel but that is not acceptable."
The CNS, however, said there was no crude oil in the missing ship as alleged in some quarters.
Describing the incident as an "embarrassment to myself as well", Afolabi said he made some effort to see if the ship could be recovered by sending some helicopters and patrol boats to search the Nigerian waters.
He explained that MT African Pride was left in the bar, outside other seized ships because of its size, adding that it is the duty of the Police to patrol the bar.
He gave indication that it might be difficult to recover the ship because experience has shown that such ships had been recycled in the past by changing names.
"How it becomes easy for ships to change names should be investigated. The nation should ask what happened to the ships arrested in the past," he remarked.
Before his appointment three and a half years ago as naval boss he noted, the nation was losing an average of $57 million per week due to activities of illegal bunkerers but the incidence had reduced to about $10 million.
Afolabi added that some naval officers had been court-martialled.
Also, there were indications yesterday that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) might take over the investigation of the missing ship.
The Secretary of the Commission, Samuel Akomaye who represented the chairman at the hearing, said because of the special presidential directive that the Police should investigate the case, the Commission had not done anything.
But in view of the new twist in the case, he said the commission might be compelled to do something about it.
Earlier, the Ports Manager of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Lekan Ajala, who represented the Director-General, said the NPA does not have control over the outside bar area where the seized MT African Pride was moved.
He, however, said their manifest showed that one MT African Pride left the shores of this country on August 4, 2004 but "I can't say whether it was the one or not."
The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Austine Opara, while declaring open the public hearing, asked security agencies to do something about security of the nation's waterways.
He described the incident as a national embarrassment, which must not be treated with kid's glove.
The chairman of the committee, Tony Aziegbemi, said no stone would be left unturned to get to the root of the matter. The IG would appear tomorrow.
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