The Nigerian Navy has arrested 11 suspected fuel thieves, including eight Ghanaians and seized petroleum products worth N10.8 million.
The Navy arrested the suspects with their wooden speed boat and the petroleum products at the Atlas Cove, Lagos.
The Commander of the Nigerian Naval Ship Beecroft,Commodore Martins Njoko, on Friday handed the suspects over to Mr Isaac Omale, the security officer attached to the Department of Petroleum Resources, Atlas Cove.
Njoko said that the command would continue to make life difficult for oil thieves, smugglers, pirates and vandals operating within its jurisdiction.
According to him, the suspects were in the habit of stealing petroleum products and moving same on speed boats down to Benin Republic, and that measures have been put in place to stop this criminality on the high sea.
Njoko said that the command had arrested a significant number of suspected criminals within the year, adding that the constant patrol on the high sea has yielded positive results.
He said arrested suspects had always been handed over to the police, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Nigeria National petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
Njoko said that the nature of the crime usually determined which of the security agencies handled the suspects during further investigation and possible prosecution.
Responding, Omale thanked the naval authorities for making the task of his department easier, noting that the role of the navy in combating crime, especially at Atlas Cove, could not be over emphasised.
He assured the command that his department would do everything possible to carry out an investigation for proper prosecution of the suspects.
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