Nigerian Naval Commander Hails Drop in Oil Theft

By ADF On Apr 10, 2015

Nigerian Navy special forces commandos patrol waterways near Lagos during a joint military exercise. The exercise, African Winds, was designed to improve the Nigerian Armed Forces’ capacity to fight oil theft and other maritime crime. AFP/GETTY IMAGES

The Nigerian Navy announced that crude oil theft fell 67 percent in 2014.

Rear Adm. Charles Obiora-Medani, flag officer of Eastern Naval Command, said theft dropped from about 2.6 million barrels per month in January to about 800,000 barrels per month in September. He made the announcement in Calabar, in the east of the country, while inspecting naval formations, the daily newspaper This Day reported.

He said the reduction is due, in large part, to increased naval patrols on the Calabar-Oron and Ikang waterways.

“Our effective patrol has made it impossible for sea robbers to attack oil service vessels and international boats that ply between Nigeria, Sao Tome, Cameroon and Gabon,” Obiora-Medani said. “Because of our effective patrol along this axis, they can’t get around them, so they have now resorted to attacking soft targets, which are passenger boats.”

He noted that the rate of attacks on passenger vessels also was decreasing.

“I am assuring you that very soon, we will eradicate these criminals from our waterways,” Obiora-Medani said.