The war against illegal bunkering and sea piracy in the Niger Delta may have paid off, when a joint military operations comprising the Army, Navy, Airforce, SSS and the Civil Defence last Monday cracked a syndicate involved in the illicit activities along Ke and Pero-Kparakama, in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State, destroying 51 illegal refineries and 4 cotonou boats in the process. Six (6) suspects, including 2 women and 4 men were arrested.
Briefing journalists on Tuesday at NNS Pathfinder, Naval Base, Rumuolumeni, in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the State, Commander Oyetunji Fadeyi said, “Sequel to the arrest of 7 pirates and extraction of useful information from the suspects, a joint operation was planned to dislodge the camp of the pirates”.
Consequent upon that he said, “a combined team of the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Airforce and elements of the police, SSS and Civil Defence conducted a joint anti-piracy and illegal bunkering operations at the communities on 19/11/12.” According to him, the operation which commenced at about 06.30 hours and lasted for about 9hours, resulted to the arrest of 6 suspects, including 2 women.
At the end of the operations Fadeyi said 4 AK 47 rifle, 1x FN rifle, 1 pistol and 212 rounds of 7.62 ammunitions were recovered. Other items recovered in the raid, he said include, 4 Nokia phones, 1 file containing documents, 8 matchets and Five Hundred and thirty thousand Naira (N530,000) cash only.
Commander Fadeyi recalled that NNS Pathfinder personnel on routine patrol along Bonny sea, 3 Naautical Miles South-East had on 13/11/12 intercepted a distress fishing trawler ORCV, following a pirate attack on the vessel that fateful day. The Naval commander said 7 suspected pirates were arrested and the abducted captain of the vessel freed.
The suspects were consequently handed over to the police for prosecution.
In an interview with journalists shortly after the briefing, Commander Fadeyi lamented the slow pace of the judicial system in the country which he said has remained a clog in the wheel of prosecuting the perpetrators of these crimes, soliciting for a special court to try illegal bunkers, and sea pirates to stamp out the criminal activities along our waterways. He thanked other security agencies for their cooperation in the successful operation. ###
Barth Ndu
