Another Botched Operation Being Celebrated as Heroic
A foreign ship, supertanker MT HEROIC IDUN, was in Nigerian Territorial Water illegally and confirmed by the Nigerian Navy to be engaging in illegal activities at Akpo Offshore Oil Field operated by Total SA on the night of August 08, 2022. They were loading our crude oil without proper documentation. Besides, our Navy Ship was able to confirm the nationalities of the 26 crew members on board the ship.
They were in our territorial water illegally, committing a crime, why didn't the Navy Ship NNS GONGOLA, fire and sink the supertanker for evading or resisting an arrest?
And how fast was the supertanker going that a Naval ship couldn't match her speed in the high sea before entering the Equatorial Guinea territorial waters?
A thieving ship violated our territorial integrity and knowingly violated the order of our Navy ship; yet, we couldn't apprehend it or bring it down by any means necessary.
Wetin dey happen to our country? Wherein gone our sovereignty? We can't protect and police our forest. We can't protect and police our highways. Now, it's our territorial waters.
Or are we saying that the Equatorial Guinea Navy Ship that eventually apprehends the supertanker and its crew members in Equatorial Guinea has better equipment or better-trained personnel or is more patriotic?
The DSS should step into the scene immediately to unravel the Nigerian syndicate that collaborated with the Agent of the ship and the crew members on board. We want to know the nationality of the Shipping Agent and why he instructed the crew members to undermine the order of our Navy personnel.
Now this: While, on the record, we are producing about one million barrels of crude oil per day, this supertanker MT HEROIC, can load three million barrels of crude oil at a time.
If the ship has succeeded in its mission, you can imagine the volume of our national wealth that is going away into the hands of foreigners in collaboration with greedy and well-placed Nigerians.
This is not an isolated occurrence, it's been happening. And based on the audacity and defiant attitude of the Captain of the ship, this voyage is certainly not his first time on Nigeria water to lift our crude oil illegally.
According to media reports, the Vice President of Equatorial Guinea, in a tweet, confirmed the arrest of the ship and its crew members. So, let's pray our Attorney General and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expedite the process of their transfer or extradition to Nigeria to face prosecution.
We must not relent in blocking every leakage or source of the drainage of our foreign revenue. And as a deterrent, those involved must receive the maximum punishment applicable. This is an inside job and it's been well-rewarding to those involved.
Therefore, a civil action forfeiture proceeding must be activated simultaneously with criminal prosecution to recover every dime the perpetrators must have stolen from us over the years. Nigerians are watching. And the global maritime industry is watching.
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