The Federal Government has taken legal action against a vessel, MT Kali, and 23 individuals accused of oil theft and economic sabotage. They appeared before an Abuja Federal High Court.
The vessel MT Kali (IMO: 8782800) and its crew were charged with nine counts before Justice Emeka Nwite.
According to the charges, on January 11, at the Chevron Wellhead Offshore Ekeni and Ezeotu communities in Bayelsa State, the defendants allegedly tampered with Chevron equipment to transport crude oil within Nigeria’s Exclusive Economic Zone without permission. This is a violation of Section 1(7) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act 2004.
They are also accused of conspiring to siphon around 119,000 litres of crude oil on the same day without a proper license, contrary to Section 1(a) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act 2004.
The government further alleges that the defendants turned off the Automatic Identification System to evade detection by the Nigerian Navy, a maritime offence under Section 10 of the Suppression of Privacy and Other Maritime Offences Act 2019.
A private company, SASNA Global Resources, and individuals Ayokunle Eniola and David Adeboye face additional charges for illegally engaging in petroleum activities and storing crude oil in MT Kali’s cargo tanks without a license, which breaches the Petroleum Industry Act 2021.
The vessel itself is charged with hiding information that could have led to the arrest of its crew, under Section 16(5) of the Suppression of Privacy and Other Maritime Offences Act 2019.
All accused, including the MT Kali vessel, SASNA Global Resources, and 23 individuals, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Justice Emeka Nwite has ordered that all defendants be held in custody while their bail applications are processed.
