Crude oil theft: Tanker and crew must pay $15M and N5M penalties before release- Awwal Gambo insists

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Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo


Article Summary

  • Nigeria’s Chief of Naval Staff has insisted on penalty payments from crew accused of crude oil theft last year.
  • The CNS says the penalty payments are a resilient indication that the Nigerian Navy will stop at nothing to ensure the domain is safer for the sustainable development of Nigeria’s blue economy.
  • Between 2009 and 2020, Nigeria lost 619.7 million barrels of crude oil valued at $46.16 billion or N16.25 trillion to crude oil theft.

Nigeria’s Chief of Naval Staff has said that the tanker and crew that were arrested over crude oil theft allegations must pay penalties before release.

According to a Vanguard report, the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo said this on Monday, May 8. He declared that the tanker, MT Heroic Idun, and it’s 26 crew members that were arrested last year over crude oil theft activities must pay penalties. This is following an order of release by the court after a plea bargain. He said:

  • “It is to be noted that the vessel and crew will not be released until the penalty and restitution are paid as well as public apologies made in the print and electronic media in Nigeria and Llyod’s list. 

  • The successful arraignment and conviction of Motor Tanker HEROIC IDUN and her crew arrested last August, sentenced after a plea bargain to pay N5 million as a penalty for the charge and $15 million as restitution to the country, is a resilient indication that the Nigerian Navy, as the nation’s maritime sentinel, will stop at nothing to ensure the domain is safer for sustainable development of the nation’s blue economy.”

Backstory

Following its arrest in August 2022 by the Equatorial Guinea authorities, the tanker and its crew were handed over to the Nigerian Navy for further investigations.

The vessel entered Nigerian waters, specifically the Akpo Oilfield, deep offshore Bonny, a joint venture operated by Total Energies EP, to load crude oil at about midnight on 7th August 2022.

The vessel was accosted by a Nigerian Navy (NN) ship on patrol on 8th August 2022 (shortly after midnight) for not having due NNPC approval and naval clearance.


At the time, the Nigerian authorities said the vessel had not loaded any oil before the Navy approached it, but said the ship made a false claim of a piracy attack, entered a restricted area without authorization, and attempted to load crude oil illegally.

What you should know

A policy brief on crude oil theft from the Nigerian Extractives Industry Transparency Initiative (NEITI) shows that between 2009 and 2020 (a 12-year period), Nigeria lost 619.7 million barrels of crude oil valued at $46.16 billion or N16.25 trillion to crude oil theft.

 The volume of crude oil losses represents a loss of more than 140 thousand barrels per day.

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