Crew Members Face Bunkering Charges

Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, has filed criminal charges of conspiracy and illegal possession of automotive gas oil against four crew members aboard a ship, MT Ocean Treasure, and two companies, Vital Shipping Line Limited and Enee Oil and Gas Limited.

The four accused crew members are Ayoade Emmanuel Tanimola, King C. Fred, Stephen Bamgbose, Idowu Balogjn and Michael Ekanem.

According to the anti-graft agency’s account, on 5 August, 2012 during the operational deployment of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMAS, enforcement to Brass in Bayelsa State, the team encountered a vessel, M.T Ocean Treasure on the Nigerian territorial waters off the coast of Escravos.

At the time the vessel was encountered by NIMASA team, the accused crew members were alleged to be on board of the vessel which was carrying 300 metric tons of illegally refined petroleum products (Automotive Gas oil) loaded at Akasa in Bayelsa State.

The petroleum product was subjected to test by Pipelines and Products Marketing Company of Nigeria, PPMC, a subsidiary of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company, NNPC, and the test conducted revealed that the product aboard the vessel was adulterated automotive gas oil.

As at the time the vessel ocean M.T. Treasure was encountered on the Nigeria Territorial waters of the coast of Escravos the NIMASA enforcement team suspected that the vessel was involved in an illegal activity and tried to investigate the vessel which the Captain Seyi Adebayo and others crew members were the principal officers aboard the vessel. It was further alleged that in the process of investigating the vessel, the M.T. Ocean Treasure crew members opened fire on the NIMAS patrol boat. This led to the close monitoring of the vessel by the agency. The vessel was subsequently  arrested in Lagos on Saturday 11  August, 2012.

When the vessel M.T. Ocean Treasure was arrested, it had no ship certificate, registered flag, list of crew on board, oil record book, bill of lading and cargo manifest.

Consequently, the crew members were arrested by NIMASA and handed over to the  EFCC for prosecution.

Thereafter, the anti-graft agency approached the Ikeja Chief Magistrate’s Court for an order to remand them pending the final conclusion of investigation and arraignment  before a court of competent jurisdiction.

Consequently, a criminal charge number FHC/L/294C/2012 has been preferred against the accused persons, in the said criminal charge filed before a Federal high court sitting in Lagos, southwest Nigeria by EFCC prosecuting counsel, Mr. A.B.C Ozioko, it was alleged that Ayoade Emmanuel Tanimola, King C Fred, Stephen Bamgbose, Idowu Balogun, Michael Ekanem, Vital Shipping Line Limited and Enee Oil and Gas Limited one Eric still at large, Captain Seyi Adebayo still at large and Tunji Brown still at large on or about the August 2012 in Lagos conspired to store aboard M.T. Ocean Treasure vessel 300 metric tons of Automotive Gas Oil being petroleum products without appropriate license required under section 4 of the Petroleum Act, Cap P 10 laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 6 of the same. The case has not been assigned to any judge.

by 

Esther Komolafe