4th October, 2012
Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, has filed a four-count criminal charge of conspiracy and illegal dealing in petroleum products against a captain of ship and five of his crew members.
The six accused persons Captain Musa Mohammed, Otuagoma Freeborn, James Onubi, Hassan Adekunle, Gabriel Edet Inyang and Patrick Chinedu were arrested on board vessel M.T Takoradi with 942,200 litres of automotive gas oil without appropriate licence required under the Petroleum Act.
According to EFCC sources, on 26 January, 2012 the officers of the Nigerian Navy aboard the Nigerian Navy ship “Thunder” on patrol duties accosted a vessel, M.T Takoradi, within the Nigerian territorial waters laden with one million litres of automated gas oil, whose source the accused person were unable to reasonably explain and without any clearance by Nigerian navy authorities in charge of authorising vessels conveying petroleum.
The officers and men of the Nigerian navy upon suspicion that the captain and the crew aboard the vessel may have been involved in acts of illegal bunkering and economic sabotage arrested them and detained the vessel and crew on board.
The accused persons and the vessel were later transferred to EFCC for discreet investigation. After investigation, a four-count criminal charge was preferred against them.
The court has adjourned till next month when the accused persons would be arraigned before a federal high court in Lagos.