The Central Naval Command of the Nigerian Navy on Sunday handed over a Cameroonian and 11 Nigerians suspected to be oil thieves to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, inYenogoa, Bayelsa State for prosecution.

The suspects were apprehended for alleged involvement in the theft of 10,000 litres of locally refined diesel, off the waterway of Egweama community in Brass Local Government Area of the state.

The Cameroonian was identified by the Navy as the Captain of the seized vessel used by the suspects to convey the stolen product.

The vessel, registered as MV Sea Giant, had ship log, the Nigeria Port Authority bunkering permit and Certificate of Registration with the Joint Military Task Force.

Operations officer of the command, Emmanuel Enemor, presented the crew of the seized vessel to the representative of the EFCC, Ogbu Michael.

Enemor said that the suspects claimed that the petroleum products in the vessel was for running machinery on board, adding that the laboratory test on the sample showed that the product was illegally refined Automotive Gasoline Oil, AGO.

According to Enemor, the Nigerian Navy patrol team arrested the vessel off the Brass River entrance on May 16 at Egweama Community in Brass Local Government area of Bayelsa state,

“The MV Sea Giant operates under the business name and license of MOEN Marine Limited located in Victoria Island in Lagos. During interrogation, the captain confessed that the vessel came from Lagos to load AGO from a Barge at Agbara offshore,” he said.