The Nigerian Navy Thursday said it would next year go tougher than before on some of its senior personnel colluding with bunkers, oil thieves and other maritime criminals sabotaging the nation’s economy.
The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral A.Z. Gambo, warned that any act of collusion with criminals or sabotage of measures emplaced to checkmate illegalities would be met with stiff sanctions in accordance with the law of the land.
He spoke in Abuja during the decoration of the newly promoted senior officers of the Nigerian Navy.
He said the Navy, in collaboration with other security agencies, had continuously strived to protect the Nigeria’s economic mainstay through various operations to counter oil bunkering and crude oil theft.
“While there are significant achievements in the fight against these maritime crimes, there are a pocket of personnel still colluding with criminals to sabotage these efforts,” he said.
He urged the newly promoted officers to be above board and ensure that their subordinates equally buy into the zero-tolerance stance of the Nigerian Navy against all forms of illegalities and criminalities at sea and ashore.
He said the year 2021 had witnessed significant disruption in all facets of national lives with the Armed Forces now more than ever required to play more significant roles to ensure security and prosperity of the nation.”
The naval chief asked them to be more dedicated and display unalloyed loyalty to the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces in order to address the myriad of security challenges plaguing Nigeria.