Military Sometimes Burn Seized Oil Theft Vessels Due To Slow Prosecution – CDS

Nigeria’s chief of defence staff, Christopher Musa, has stated that the military is compelled to destroy vessels confiscated for oil theft due to slow judicial processes and technical shortcomings in the legal system.

During an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Musa explained that legal cases involving oil bunkering frequently fail in court, resulting in the release of both the perpetrators and their vessels.

“It has to do with the legal system. You take it to court, it’s knocked out for one reason or the other,” he said. “Maybe we should have special courts that will treat cases as quickly as they are. That is very important. I think we need to review the punishment for offences.”

Musa noted that in numerous instances, seized vessels are returned to offenders after they pay what he called “peanuts,” which weakens efforts to deter such crimes.

“That’s why we started burning the vessel, but then, again, people started talking about the environment,” he said. “So you are caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. For us, burning those items once they are arrested, we started having peace. But as long as we keep on arresting them and handing them over and they go to the legal system, it becomes a problem.”

The defence chief highlighted that ineffective legal consequences also demotivate soldiers from risking their lives to make arrests.

“You go in, risk all your life, make an arrest; for one reason or the other, technical issues, the item is released tomorrow,” Musa said. “You think that soldier is ready to sacrifice himself to go and make arrests again? It becomes a problem.”

He further pointed out that, unlike Nigeria, other regions treat terrorism and related crimes with greater severity. “In the Middle East, terrorism cases are serious cases. If your name gets in there, even your family member, nobody will come,” Musa said.

A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.

Nnamdi Okoli