From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
The controversy surrounding the suit between the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and Tugboat christened MV Ayo Oba II and others over alleged conspiracy and illegal bunkering has taken a twist following a petition seeking the transfer of the case to the IGP Special Taskforce on Petroleum and Illegal Bunkering.
In a petition to the Inspector General of Police, a legal practitioner, Mr Myson Nejo, specifically asked the IGP to transfer the case brought by Mr Jide Afolabi, Managing Director, Nathern Energy Product and Allied Services Ltd, from the Rivers Commissioner of Police (CP), Mr Olugbenga Adewole, to the IGP Special Taskforce on Petroleum and Illegal Bunkering.
Nejo, who is acting on behalf of his clients, Dandy Atibere Oluyemi of Abuloma, Rivers State, and his company, Atis-Das Nig Ltd, prayed the IGP to ensure the consolidation of the abduction case with the oil bunkering charge preferred against his clients at the Federal High Court (FHC), Port Harcourt.
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He said the call became necessary because they were unsure if they would get a fair hearing under the CP’s command. The lawyer, in the certified true copy (CTC) of the petition dated and submitted at the IGP’s office on August 11, accused Adewole of bias in the matters. A copy of the letter, which also copied the Chairman, Police Service Commission (PSC), was made available to newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja.
The petition is titled: “Plot by Jide Afolabi, his company, Nathern Energy Product and Allied Services Ltd, and others of their accomplices to escape justice in a case of conspiracy and illegal bunkering subject of Charge Number: FHC/PH/215C/2024, between IGP v. MV Ayo Oba Olori II & Ors, using the instrumentality of the Rivers State Command of the Nigeria Police Force on the express instruction of the Commissioner of Police, CP Olugbenga Adewole.”
It reads: “We are counsel to Mr Dandy Atibere Oluyemi of Abuloma, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria, and his company, Atis-Das Nig Ltd (hereinafter referred to as ‘Our Clients’).
“And it is on their instructions that we write this, praying that you use your good offices to intervene in the matter not only to ensure that justice is done, but to also demonstrate that no officer of the Nigeria Police Force is deployed in Rivers State to aid those involved in illegal oil bunkering, but to combat same.
“Our clients, being the owners of Tugboat christened MV Ayo Oba Olori II (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Tugboat’), had entered into a Charterparty Agreement with Nathern Energy Product and Allied Services Ltd, represented by its Managing Director, Afolabi Jide Olayiwola (hereinafter also referred to as ‘the Charterers’).”
The lawyer alleged that the Tugboat was used “for the purposes of carrying Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) bunkered from a certain Mother Boat owned by P and Beauty Logistics at Onne Port, Rivers State, to Soku Gas Plant on behalf of the Charterers on the assurances that they have the requisite permits and licences to deal in petroleum products.”
According to him, while on the said voyage on April 1, 2024, with one Ifeanyi Obi, a staff member of the Charterers, leading the Tugboat, a team of security operatives attached to Tantita Security Services Ltd arrested the Tugboat, her crew, William Ajiyen, Akali Olamide, and Popoola Sunday, together with Ifeanyi Obi.
He said they were taken, together with the Tugboat, to Tantita Security Base at Oporoza, Warri North LGA of Delta, and later handed over to the IGP Special Taskforce on Petroleum and Illegal Bunkering.
Nejo alleged that throughout the period and up to the investigation and filing of the charge against the Tugboat and the arrestees at the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt Division, the Charterers refused to report themselves to the authorities, but kept assuring his clients that they would resolve the matter and get the Tugboat and the crew freed.
“This never happened; rather, an order of interim forfeiture of the Tugboat and her cargo was made while the Charterers were busy filing multiple suits against Tantita Security and the police before the same Port Harcourt Division of the Federal High Court.
“The taskforce later filed the above-mentioned charge against the Tugboat, her crew, and Ifeanyi Obi, in which both our clients and the Charterers were described as being at large,” he said.
The lawyer, however, said that the police later amended the charge by dropping Obi’s name, the only staff member of the Charterers, alleged to have jumped bail.
He said after the Charterers failed to report to the taskforce with their claimed permits and licences to deal in petroleum products, his clients reported to the taskforce “since their own conscience was very clear and were subsequently arrested and joined in the pending amended charge,” while the Charterers were still described as being at large.
He said their arraignment was done, and his clients perfected their bail and succeeded in getting the Tugboat released on bond in March 2025, about one year after its arrest.
“In addition to the loss of earnings as a result of the detention of the Tugboat for about a year because of the conduct of the Charterers, our clients had spent fortunes to fix and repair the Tugboat upon its release due to the state in which it was found upon its release.”
He expressed concern that the Charterers, who owned the cargo, walked about freely.
The lawyer said on May 8, Mr Afolabi invited his clients for a peace meeting in Port Harcourt, where he agreed to pay certain sums of money in different instalments to his clients as part of the cost of the repairs of the Tugboat as well as arrears of the charter fee.
According to him, this agreement was reduced to writing and signed by both parties in our presence as well as that of Afolabi Jide Olayiwola’s lawyer, S.B. Ojo.
“To further cater for the fate of our clients’ liberty, the parties agreed that Afolabi Jide Olayiwola shall report to the taskforce at least to vindicate our clients that they are not the owners of the cargo found on the Tugboat,” he added.
Nejo further alleged that instead of Afolabi paying the next instalment or reporting to the taskforce as he voluntarily agreed, he petitioned his clients to the Rivers CP, “alleging that our clients kidnapped them and took money from them as ransom, which was paid into my (the lawyer’s) bank account.”
He said his client was consequently arrested, detained on July 24, and released on bail on July 25 by the X-Squad/Surveillance Unit of the Rivers State Command stationed at Hyper City, Ogbunabali, Port Harcourt, which is said to be reporting directly to the CP.
He said on August 7, when the parties met with the CP and tabled the matter before him, Adewole (the CP) only advised the parties to go home and make peace since they were all from Yoruba extraction, without seeing any reason Afolabi should be joined in the pending illegal bunkering charge.
Meanwhile, efforts to get the response of the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Adewole, through the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Grace Iringe-Koko, could not yield results. Though the PPRO promised to get back to our reporter on the issue, she never did as at the time of filing the report.
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