The Nigerian Navy says its operations in the last 17 months have led to the arrest of over 84 vessels and their crew for alleged involvement in Maritime related crimes.
Addressing a news conference in Abuja on Wednesday, ahead of the 59 Anniversary of the Navy, the Chief of Policy and Plans of the Nigerian Navy, Rear Admiral Johnson Olutoyin, said the Navy had also destroyed over 120 illegal oil refineries, 29 barges, 93 large wooden boats and 1,259 auxiliary equipment within the last one year.
The Navy, however, decried lack of diligent prosecution of suspects by Prosecuting Agencies, saying it has become a major challenge to the force and other security agencies operating in the oil-rich nation’s waters.
In January, the Governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola, decried the inability of the Nigerian government to check the daily loss of over 400,000 barrels of oil to theft, a situation he said had led to the loss of about 1.2 Trillion Naira between the month of July 2013 and July 2014.