The House of representatives on Tuesday knocked the military and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited for setting ablaze a vessel said to have been seized with 800,000 litres of stolen crude.
Adopting a motion by Hon. Thomas Ereyitomi, the lawmakers asked security agencies to desist from further setting ablaze vessels laden with stolen crude oil when seized with a view to curbing environmental pollution in the Niger Delta region.
Presenting the motion, Hon. Ereyitomi recall the recent reports of interception, arrest and subsequent destruction of vessels laden with stolen crude oil in the Niger Delta region, the most recent being MT TURA II on Friday July, 7 2023 in the escravos river in Warri South-West Local Government Area, Delta State.
He noted that the vessel MT TURA, an 800,000 tonne capacity vessel was at the time of arrest and destruction, laden with about 150,000 metric tonnes of stolen crude oil; He stated that the said vessel was set ablaze by a joint team of Nigeria security forces and representatives of the NNPC Ltd. on July, 11 2023.
The lawmaker further recalled that in October 2022, a vessel named MT DEIMA which was laden with 1500 metric tonnes of stolen crude oil, was also arrested and set ablaze in the Warri escravos river;
According to him, the setting ablaze stolen crude oil laden vessels will further destroy the well-endowed ecosystem of the Niger Delta region he said was already ravaged by oil exploration. He warned that if allowed to continue, the action by security agencies will further affect the livelihood and the overall wellbeing of the Niger Delta people who have fishing as their main occupation
The house, therefore, urged the security agencies of the Federal Government to desist from further setting ablaze vessels laden with stolen crude oil while also mandating the Committee on Environment (when constituted) to ensure compliance.
