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Missing ship
Missing ship: Reps in the eye of the storm
The House of Representatives recently began a probe into the
missing controversial ship, MV African Pride
impounded by Naval personnel last year but reportedly handed over to authorities
of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) before its disappearance. Correspondent
Abiodun Adelaja examines the posers before the House Committee on Navy
investigating the issue.
The
questions are pervasive — where is
MV African Pride, the ship impounded August last year by Naval personnel
over alleged illegal bunkering. Is it really missing? Under whose custody was
the vessel which was ladened with about 15,000 barrels of crude oil as at the
time of arrest before it disappeared: the Nigerian Navy, the Nigeria Police or
which other arm of the nation’s security organisation? More questions: where is
the 15,000 barrels of "Black gold" over which the ship was impounded? Did the
authorities of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) evacuate the
said commodity before the ship’s "mysterious disappearance"?
These are some of the questions agitating
the minds of members of the House of Representatives Committee on Navy who last
week commenced investigation into circumstances surrounding the disappearance of
the ship.
The House had sequel to a motion jointly
sponsored by Hons. Halius Agoda, Andrew Uchendu and Olaka Nwogu , among others,
mandated its committee on Navy to unearth the circumstances leading to the
vessel’s disappearance.
In fact MT African Pride was among
the vessels arrested by a special anti-bunkering tasksforce constituted by the
Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Samuel Afolayan in August last year.
On board the vessel were 22 persons,
mostly Russian nationals who ostensibly were sabotaging the Nigerian economy.
For Nigeria, it was a big catch as the crude in the vessel’s bowels as at the
time of its arrest was estimated at N20 billion.
However, following a security meeting at
Aso Rock January 20, 2004 on ways of curbing the menace of illegal bunkering,
President Olusegun Obasanjo reportedly directed that the ship which had been in
the custody of the Nigerian Navy be released to the Nigeria Police to expedite
trial of the culprits who were already arraigned in court, while the NNPC was
equally directed to evacuate the crude. But curiously, the vessel mysteriously
"disappeared" in August this year, precisely one year after its arrest and
detention.
But was the presidential order to the Navy
to hand over the ship to the Police authorities complied with? Under whose
custody was the vessel when it got missing? Did the NNPC comply with what was
expected of the organisation in the presidential order.
Answers to these questions were somewhat
hazy after the first three days of the House committee’s advertised public
hearing as the core testimony of the Naval Chief Vice Admiral Samuel Afolayan
before the panel differed from that of Inspector General of Police IGP, Mr Tafa
Balogun.
Admiral Afolayan who appeared before the
investigative panel accompanied by top Naval chiefs admitted the arrest of MT
African Pride in August last year over illegal bunkering on Nigerian
territorial waters. Afolayan, who constituted the anti-bunkering squad said
however, that owing to unsavoury reports reaching him to the effect that ships
arrested previously over the offence, and handed over the Police for prosecution
soon re-surfaced on the waters unscathed, he then directed his men to impound
the vessel. The action, he told the panel was to boost the morale of his men who
were getting discouraged by the attitude of the police.
Afolayan, however said the Navy in
compliance with the presidential order of January 20 handed over the vessel to
the police.
But surprisingly, the Inspector General of
Police, Mr Balogun, who, took his turn a day after Admiral Afolayan gave his own
testimony said he did not receive any ship from the Navy.
Also accompanied by top police officers
and aides, Mr Balogun said his men were only handed over 15 out of the 22 people
on board for prosecution. Seven others, he said were left in the ship to attend
to its technical peculiarities, under the watchful eyes of Naval personnel.
Balogun challenged Naval authorities to
come up with documentary evidence of the transaction if it was sure. "If
actually they did, we would still have pleaded with them to continue to help us
guard it". Balogun stated.
He added that attempt by any policeman to
access where the ship was anchored with conventional patrol boats tantamounts to
toeing a suicide path which he strongly advised against.
But going by the testimony of the two
security chiefs whose individual formations are core in the "missing ship" saga,
the Hon. Tony Aziegbemi—led House committee has more task ahead of it. Its
ultimate findings on circumstances surrounding the missing of MT African
Pride perhaps would give further insights into the pervasive illegal deal
and how to curb it.
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