The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has secured an interim order from the Law Court to sell the vessel named MV flora and the 10,000 litres of illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) stored inside the vessel to the Federal Government of Nigeria in line with section 263(11) of the Criminal Procedure Act.
The court order therefore directed the corps to auction the seized items upon advertisement in the national dailies.
Similarly, the court granted an order directing the corps to sell vessel “MT Tora Eagle” and 3,600 drums of illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) stored therein, as well as a Truck and 10 drums of stolen crude.
The corps before now embarked on a tour of the various sites of seized items across the federation with the Committee on Forfeited Items set up by the former Attorney General of the Federation, Muhammed Adoke , to ascertain the conditions of the items.
The Commandant General of the NSCDC, Abdullahi Gana Muhammadu, who made these declarations, stated that in the year under review, over 40 suspects have been prosecuted and convicted in Delta and Bayelsa States respectively on vandalism, oil theft and operation of illegal refineries.
A statement by the NSCDC spokesman, Emmanuel Okeh, said the corps would pursue its mandate vigorously in ensuring that vandalism in which ever form is stamped out.
Also, he reiterated that he cannot but keep appreciating the Chief of Naval Staff for the enormous support the corps is receiving from him and his personnel.
Gana maintained that, the number of suspects prosecuted and vessels handed over to the corps by the naval team after the arrests, showed synergy and partnership in fighting crime and criminality in the area of oil theft. Using the premise, he called on other stakeholders to emulate the gesture of the Nigeria Navy which acknowledged the mandate of the corps as the lead agency in the protection of critical infrastructure.
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