Oil theft: Minority reps want probe of intercepted vessel

The Minority Caucus in the House of Representatives has called on the federal government to order for an open inquest into the recent incident involving a three million barrel capacity super tanker, MV Heroic Idun intercepted with millions of barrels of stolen Nigerian crude oil.   In a statement signed by the House Minority Leader, […]

The Minority Caucus in the House of Representatives has called on the federal government to order for an open inquest into the recent incident involving a three million barrel capacity super tanker, MV Heroic Idun intercepted with millions of barrels of stolen Nigerian crude oil.  

In a statement signed by the House Minority Leader, Ndudi Elumelu (PDP Delta) yesterday, the caucus said it was alarmed by the massive oil theft in the country, which it noted “has become an organised racket under the corrupt, reckless and extremely decadent All Progressives Congress (APC) administration.”  

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“It is indeed disturbing that under the APC administration, according to official reports, oil thieves are having a field day, stealing up to 400,000 barrels of crude oil every day.   

“This amounts to a daily siphoning of about $40m (given the current average global oil price of around $100 a barrel) accrued revenue meant for the wellbeing of Nigerians.

“Such reported complicity is also evidenced in the failure of the Nigerian authorities to effectively intercept and arrest the criminal tanker and its crew, which successfully left the Nigerian waters, only to be apprehended by the Equatorial Guinea Navy.

“This shocking development underscores the massive sleaze in our country’s oil and gas sector under the APC administration, with consequential crippling effect on our overall national economy and social wellbeing,” the statement noted.  

The caucus commended patriotic officers of the Nigerian Navy for their collaboration with Equatorial Guinea Navy to effect the arrest of the criminal vessel.  

It could be recalled that the spokesperson of the Nigerian Navy, Adedotun Ayo-Vaughan, confirmed the arrest of the oil tanker on Wednesday.  

He said the arrest was an indication of renewed collaboration among countries located along the Gulf of Guinea.