AT least two of the seven vessels seized by the Nigerian Navy for allegedly conveying illegally sourced petroleum products have sunk, leading to a revenue loss put at about $250 million.
The delay in appointing auctioneers for the vessels was said to be responsible for the loss of the revenue, as memos exchanged between the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Nigerian Navy had shown.
Nigerian Tribune was told in Abuja, at the weekend, which the Nigerian Navy had, in November 2016, handed over the seized vessels to the EFCC, after they had been forfeited to the Nigerian government for conveying illegally sourced petroleum products.
The navy was said to have intimated the EFCC to the need to appoint auctioneers to sell off the products and avoid the sinking of the vessels, due to impact of water.
At least seven vessels were mentioned in the several memos – MT Good Success; MV Thames; MT Anuket Emerald; MT Asteris; MT Long Island; MT Zara and MV PS Derby – just as the memorandums confirmed that at least two of them, MV Thames and MV Good Success, were confirmed to have sunk.
It was confirmed that though the Asset Forfeiture and Recovery Management (AFRM) Department of the EFCC, which was saddled with the task of managing the forfeited vessels and ensuring the disposal of the products, had immediately met with the navy in November 2016, no action was taken, leading to the loss of the vessels.
A deputy director in the Department of AFRM had, in a memo dated December 19, 2017, intimated his bosses, including the secretary to the commission and the office of chairman of his meetings with the Flag Officer Commanding the Western Naval Command on the state of the seized vessels.
The memo, sighted by the Nigerian Tribune, confirmed that the as of November, MT Good Success had sunk, while MV Thames also sank at the Port Harcourt port.
It was, however, discovered that back and forth memos between the office of the secretary to the EFCC and the chairman could not salvage the situation, as another vessel was confirmed to have sunk early March 2017.
On March 1, it was confirmed that a memo from the Head of AFRM in Lagos further intimated the headquarters of EFCC to the alarm raised by the navy in a memo forwarded in February, stating the emerging threat to MV PSV Derby, which was said to be at the verge of sinking into deep waters due to water ingress.
Attempt to appoint an auctioneer to sell off the petroleum products in February was also said to have been terminated due to what the EFCC described as “lapses” discovered in the engagement process of the auctioneer company.
Secretary of the commission, Emmanuel A. Aremo, had written the office of the chairman on March 2, 2017, calling for immediate action after his office was alerted.
The memo intimated the chairman that three vessels were at the verge of submerging in Port Harcourt, while another one was almost sinking in Lagos.
The memo warned of the need to act fast to prevent further waste of forfeited assets and denial of the Federal Government of the much-needed revenue.
Reports that could not be independently confirmed, however, indicated that no fewer than five of the forfeited vessels had sunk in Lagos and Port Harcourt ports at the end of March.
When contacted, spokesman of the Nigerian Navy, Navy Captain Sulaimon Dahun, however, refused to go into details of the seized vessels, saying that the standard harmonised procedure on maritime crimes, launched by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, had taken care of the role of individual agencies in handling maritime issues.
Spokesman of the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, could not be reached for comment on Sunday, as his mobile phone was switched off, while text messages sent to him were unanswered.
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