The Chief of Defense Staff, CDS, Maj. Gen. Christopher Musa has paraded twenty three suspected oil thieves on a vessel, MT Kali, laden with stolen crude oil in Delta State.
Musa paraded the suspects when he inspected the vessel at the TANTITA operational base along the Escravos River in Oporoza community, Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State.
Musa, who interrogated some of the suspects, vowed to deal ruthlessly with oil thieves plying theor criminal trade in the country.
In a chat with newsmen, he hailed the operatives of TANTITA Security and the NSCDC for their collaborative efforts in arresting the vessel and all the crew members with the stolen crude.
Musa, who was flanked by top echelons of the military, as well as the Group Chief Operating Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, NNPCL, Melee Kyari, said the collaboration with the security agencies will help in curtailing the activities of oil thieves.
He said they (military) will handle the vessel in line with “standard practices”.
“We are here based on the report of the arrest of this ship, and I think it’s a major achievement. It shows that we’re committed to ensuring that we stop this criminality within the maritime environment.
“We’re working for the same team, we’re all Nigerians, this is our country. Whatever is happening here is an act of criminality that must be stopped by all means. So, I want to make that very clear that all Nigerians must put hands on deck to ensure that we stop these acts.
“The country is bleeding. We need all the forms we need so that this country can grow and develop and it is just by stopping criminals like this,” he said.
It could be recalled that the vessel was arrested through a joint effort by operatives of TANTITA Security Limited and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC.
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