The Nigerian navy, NNS Delta, has arrested three persons in connection with the hijacking of MT Kerala, off the coast of Angola, Southern Africa.
The 75,000 dwt, Liberian-flagged oil tanker Kerala, came under attack offshore Luanda, Angola around the 18th of January after which the International Maritime Bureau was notified.
The Nigerian navy, NNS Delta, has arrested three persons in connection with the hijacking of MT Kerala, off the coast of Angola, Southern Africa.
The 75,000 dwt, Liberian-flagged oil tanker Kerala, came under attack offshore Luanda, Angola around the 18th of January after which the International Maritime Bureau was notified.
However, the suspects, Takoradi Doghor, captain, William Aseghiemhen, Engineer and Ovakporaye Osagada, Able Seaman, were in March this year, arrested by the Nigerian Navy in the Niger Delta waterways in possession of the ship used for the same illegal operation.
The suspects were held in connection with the hijacking and siphoning of the contents of the vessel, which had products worth about N1.6bn.
While handing over the suspects to the representative of the International Police (Interpol) yesterday, the Commander NNS, Delta Capt. Musa Gemu, noted that preliminary investigations carried out by the navy showed the trio was complicit in the alleged crime.
He told the Interpol officer, Mr Soji Idowu, that the suspects had a ‘case to answer’, adding that he was handing the alleged criminals for a more thorough investigation of the level of involvement of the trio.
“They (the suspects) were involved in a case of product hijacking. They hijacked MT Kerala 200 nautical miles off the coast of Angola and at the time Kerala was carrying products worth $10m.
“We recently saw her ( MV Gare) at our territorial waters and we arrested her. But since we have our limits, we had to handover to the police. The crime had been committed and I saw the ship in my Area of Operation,” Gemu stated.
He stated that the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Usman Jibrin, had ordered zero tolerance for illegal oil bunkering, stressing that ships, boats and several vessels had been arrested since the fresh onslaught on the maritime criminals began.
During the initial investigation, which lasted about 100 days, the navy authorities said all angles pointed to the fact the three suspects were involved in the crime.
But lawyer to one of the suspects, Ovakporaye, Mr Oghenejabor Ikimi, had earlier slammed a N2m suit on the navy for illegally detaining his client.
“We hereby demand the unconditional release of Mr. Ovakpor Osagada or in the alternative hand him and the remaining crew members to the Police for proper investigation and possible trial if found culpable.
“The continual detention of Mr. Ovakpor Osagada and his crew members by the Navy is a violation of their fundamental rights to liberty, hence this petition to your office,’’ Ikimi had said in a petition to the CNS.
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