The Chief of the Staff Naval, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo has warned personnel of the Nigerian Navy colluding with criminals to desist from such acts or face the full weight of the law.
He vowed to impose stiff sanctions against erring naval officers collaborating with oil thieves and maritime criminals.
The naval chief spoke at the decoration of senior officers promoted to the rank of commodore and rear admiral.
“The navy in collaboration with other security agencies have continuously strived to protect the economic mainstay of the country through various operations to counter illegal oil bunkering and crude oil theft in the country.
“While there are significant achievements in the fight against these maritime crimes, there is a pocket of personnel still colluding with criminals to sabotage these efforts.
“Let me, therefore, warn that any act of collusion with criminals or sabotage of measures emplaced to checkmate illegalities will be met with stiff sanctions in accordance with the law of the land.
“Note that as leaders of the service, you are expected to be above board and ensure that your subordinates equally buy into the zero-tolerance stance of the Nigerian Navy,” he said.
Gambo called on the newly promoted officers to imbibe the quality of good leadership in the discharge of their responsibilities, adding that the armed services remained “a performance oriented organisation”, and that, “quality leadership in the armed forces is essential for the optimal realisation of its objectives.