Navy nabs suspected pipeline vandal

Orok Okon

The patrol team of the Nigerian Navy Ship,NNS Victory, has arrested Orok Okon, member of a gang that specialised in oil pipeline vandalism.

Okon, 35, was arrested on Tuesday along the Calabar waterways in a wooden boat containing over 150 (200 litres) drums of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol.

The petrol was believed to have been siphoned from one of the pipelines conveying the product to the Calabar depot of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.

Seven members of the gang were said to have narrowly escaped being apprehended by the team.

Commander, NNS Victory, Commodore James Oluwole, who paraded the suspect and the recovered products at the Calabar jetty, said the encounter took place around 2am.

Oluwole said on sighting the naval team, the suspected oil thieves, who were aboard the wooden boat laden with the stolen products, jumped overboard to escape.

 He added that one of the members was, however, outsmarted by the team as he made attempt to escape.

He said, “Close to the NNPC jetty around 2am, our team accosted a wooden boat containing over 150 drums of 200 litres each. Immediately the suspected vandals sighted us, they  jumped overboard to escape, but we were able to arrest one of them.”

The commander said the arrested vandal and the products would be handed over to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps for further investigation and prosecution.

He explained that most oil vandals, unlike sea pirates, preferred to abandon their stolen products to escape than confronting military personnel in a gun duel.

Oluwole said the Navy was collaborating with the 13th Brigade of the Nigeria Army to ensure that pipeline vandals were chased away from the Calabar waterways.

The commander said the effort was part of the Chief of Naval Staff campaign against crude oil theft.

He noted that oil bunkerers and pipeline vandals had recent times taken advantage of the Calabar waterways because it used to be an easy route for them.

He added that in the last one year, many arrests and continuous parade of the waterways had kept them at bay.

The commander said the Navy would continue to protect the maritime domain which is the main stay of the nation’s economy.

Okon told journalists that there were eight members in his gang, adding that seven escaped through the water.

The suspect, who declined to disclose the source of the product, said they were conveying it to the Jebbs area of Calabar South before they encountered the naval officials.