Navy Prevents Oil Thieves from Stealing 91,725 Barrels of Crude in 2023, Says Former Commandant

 

Former Commandant of the Navy War College, Rear Admiral Murtala Bashir (Rtd.)

A former Commandant of the Navy War College, Rear Admiral Murtala Bashir (Rtd.), says that the Nigerian Navy stopped oil thieves from stealing 91,725.26 barrels of crude in 2023.

Bashir revealed this in a paper he delivered at the inauguration of the Naval Warfare Course 8 in Calabar on Monday. He spoke on the topic, “Operational Level Warfare: Imperatives for Training and Command in the Nigerian Navy,” and said that this was an improvement from 889,890 barrels that were saved from thieves between January and December 2022.

He also said that the economic saboteurs were denied 513,350 litres of kerosene in 2023 alone. He added that 351 illegal refining sites, 630 storage tanks, and 315 wooden boats were destroyed within the same period. Bashir said that 78 suspects, 35 vessels, and 13 trucks were arrested between January and December 2023.

He praised the Navy for the achievement, but said that more action was required to curb the activities of oil thieves to the minimum level. He said, “The above-mentioned achievements and others were possible because most operational-level commanders showed excellent personal qualities, such as diligence, commitment, courage, knowledge, foresight, the ability to take risks, the ability to delegate authority, and respect for subordinates, among others.”

He also applauded the Navy for removing the country from the International Maritime Organization’s list of High-Risk Countries. He said, “For many years, Nigeria’s maritime area was infested by piracy, with the area considered as a High-Risk Area, along with the Gulf of Aden and other notorious areas by the IMO. “It is important to say that the Flag Officer Commanding the operational commands increased his efforts by being proactive.

“They invested more in intelligence and collaborating with other stakeholders, which led to coordinated and sustained operations in their individual areas of responsibilities with occasional overlaps. “Many of the pirates were arrested on land, either while planning their operations or when they came back after operations.”

Bashir called for the optimisation of the operational level of Naval Warfare Training for the service to produce professional officers that would effectively translate strategic directives into precise tactical actions. He said, “The officers will also be apolitical and more responsive to national security priorities.

“They will be more efficient in the alignment and use of resources, uphold the law, and respect human rights, thereby earning public trust, respect and confidence,” Bashir said.

According to the service, the vessel had 17 crew members onboard at the time of arrest, adding that it was caught engaging in illegal siphoning of crude oil from one of the well heads at EBESAN oil field about seven nautical miles off the coast of Awoye riverine community in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State.