Nigeria Navy intercepts pipeline vandals, recovers stolen petrol

The Nigerian Navy on Wednesday said it had impounded a wooden boat laden with 90 jerry cans of stolen petrol from suspected pipeline vandals at the Pashe creek in Badagry area of Lagos State.

The Commander, Forward Operating Base of the Navy in Badagry, Capt. Simon Dogo, told journalists in Lagos that the seizure was made after the vandals abandoned the boat on sighting a naval team and fled.

“My patrol teams went on patrol at Pashe creek when they saw perpetrators trying to load the petroleum products in a boat for transfer to the Benin Republic.

“The perpetrators, on sighting the naval team, jumped into the water and fled. We intercepted the boat and we discovered that 90 of over 200 of the jerry cans had been filled with petrol,” he said.

Dogo said that the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Adm. Ibok Ibas had zero tolerance for economic sabotage and the navy was carrying out his directives in that direction.

He said smuggling activities had reduced drastically in Badagry, adding that the navy was ready to fight pipeline vandalism and oil theft to an end.

The commander warned perpetrators of illegal acts to seek legitimate means of livelihood or face the wrath of the law. 

[NAN]