By Bayo Davids
A coalition of Concerned Nigerians has petitioned President Bola Tinubu, through the Minister of Defense, Mohammed Badaru, to probe allegations of monumental fraud against the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla.
The petitioners comprised of human rights activists and lawyers, namely, Barrister Pelumi Olajengbesi, Deji Adeyanju, Mohammed Suleiman, Barrister Aisha Waliki, and Ogunwoye Samson.
In its petition dated January 26,2024, the coalition alleged that while the CNS was charged with the responsibility of securing the waterways, the CNS colluded with the perpetrators in the crime against the Nigerian state.
Part of the petition reads “At a time when the country is grappling with significant revenue losses due to crude oil theft, it is distressing to discover that the Chief of Naval Staff, whose primary responsibility is to safeguard Nigeria’s waterways against oil theft and other forms of criminality, is allegedly involved in collusion with the perpetrators of these heinous crimes against the Nigerian state”.
The coalition outlined three areas forming the basis of their petition against Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla namely oil theft collusion, contract splitting, and procurement fraud and corrupt practices.
The group alleged that Naval officers under the direct control of Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, had not only participated in the theft of the nation’s crude oil, but have also provided security to the criminals.
They cited specific incidents involving vessels engaged in crude oil theft, such as the MT PRAISEL vessel, for which the coalition claims to possess evidence, including an authenticated video, showing the Nigerian Navy escorting the MT PRAISEL vessel during the night.
Other incidents involve the MT KALI and MT Tura vessels, where military gunboats purportedly belonging to the Nigerian Navy were seen protecting vessels engaged in crude oil theft. They also mentioned the recent case of the MT VANNALARIS vessel allegedly loading crude oil illegally off Ondo State, with Nigerian Navy personnel preventing a private security firm from boarding or inspecting the vessel.
On the allegation of contract splitting and procurement fraud, the coalition accused Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla of “not only engaging in oil theft but also dipping his fingers into procurement fraud and contract splitting, in violation of Nigeria’s procurement laws, particularly the Procurement Act”.
The group said it had specific details of 30 contracts awarded by the Nigerian Navy under Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla’s command, to a single company, with each contract allegedly valued at $537,672.45, totaling over 8 billion Naira.
“Contract splitting, which involves dividing a single contract into smaller pieces to bypass procurement regulations, is expressly forbidden by Section 20(2) of the Procurement Act. The coalition emphasizes that engaging in contract splitting is a criminal offense punishable by a minimum term of five years imprisonment, according to Section 58(1) of the Act”, the group stated.
The coalition also alleged the failure of the CNS to reassign personnel within the Nigerian Navy who are engaged in fraudulent activities. They claimed Vice Admiral Ogalla benefits directly from these fraudulent practices and that the oil theft, procurement fraud, and other criminal activities are carried out by Navy personnel under his command.
Consequently, the group conclusion, the coalition implored President Tinubu to urgently address the issues raised in their petition, “to prevent further irreparable reputational and economic harm to the nation”.