The Western Naval Command of the Nigerian Navy last week said that it arrested 199 suspected cultists, armed robbers and other criminals between April till October 2019.
The command said it also recovered about 124,250 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), valued at N149. 6Million, that were illegally siphoned from vandalized pipelines of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) pipelines.
The arrests were confirmed in a statement issued by the spokesman of the command, Lieutenant Otuji, who added that the figures were released by the Flag Officer Commanding of Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Oladele Daji while reeling out the command’s achievements to guests as a recent dinner and award night held in honor of some officers.
He added that the suspects were handed over to relevant prosecuting agencies, while vehicles and large volumes of petroleum products were recovered during the period.
The command’s spokesman also disclosed that, through its personnel deployed in Operation AWATSE, made significant strides in containing illegal bunkering, pipeline vandalism, cultism and other crimes in parts of Lagos and Ogun States.
“It is gratifying to state that during the period under review, the Maritime Component arrested 30 suspected pipeline vandals, 3 tankers, one trailer, 1 trucks and 9 other vehicles”, he said.
“Also arrested were 12 wooden boats, which were destroyed in situ. The recovered items including an estimated quantity of 124,250 litres of PMS illegally siphoned from vandalized Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) pipelines are valued at N149,686,000.00. Furthermore, a total of 199 suspected cultists, armed robbers and other criminals were arrested within the period”
“Participation in Local and International Exercises. The Command was actively involved in all NN exercises, including joint and combined exercises with sister services and foreign navies/coast guards during the period under review”
“The Command hosted the EX OBANGAME EXPRESS 2019, OP JUNCTION RAIN, EX OKUN AILEWU (WNC Second Quarter Simulation Exercise 2019) OP OKUN ALAFIA AND EX ATAGUN ALAAFIA”
“Participation in the aforementioned exercises and operations ensured that the Western Fleet remained at a high state of operational readiness and also provided veritable platforms for capacity building and strengthening collaborative efforts with international navies/coast guards”
“The nation’s energy sector is heavily dependent on the refined products imported mainly by NNPC through the Lagos ports. Distribution of these cargoes is mainly by marine platforms, which need to be escorted to ensure uninterrupted supply of products across the country”
“Accordingly, the Command facilitates security of POL cargoes from Lagos to various destinations, a role that has helped the NNPC manage the volatility in the downstream petroleum sector and the consequent national turmoil. Over 8,500 armed personnel were deployed onboard the vessels during the period under review” he said.
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