Demand Compensation
Owners of the Marine Vessel (MV) Cecelia Imo, recently destroyed by the Marine Component of the Military Joint Task Force of Operation Delta Safe (OPDS), have accused the Nigerian Navy of acting too hastily and maliciously.

The owners, Soljas Limited, yesterday, at a press briefing in Port Harcourt, denied using the vessel for any illegal dealings or storage of illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) known as diesel, contrary to the allegation by the Nigerian Navy.

The owners, through their legal representative, Austine Ojekudo and Co., explained that the vessel, which was moored at Meco Jetty in Gbalajam, Woji, Port Harcourt, Rivers State since 2020, was placed in the custody of the jetty manager, Meco Newyear Tagar, for renting purpose.

Ojekudo stated that the owners pay N150,000 monthly as mooring charges and employed a security man, Obriku Paulinus, to secure the boat and to inform the owners of any possible hirer.

He stressed that the owners had no knowledge of what the jetty manager, Tagar, used the vessel for, saying they did not authorise him or ask him to act on their behalf.

He further said that the news of the arrest of the vessel on August 16 came as a rude shock to the management of the vessel, adding that the petitions had been written to relevant authorities including the Chief of Naval Staff, Commanders of OPDS, Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder, the state Police Commissioner and the Zonal Commander of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission requesting an investigation to unravel the true position but had no response save from the Police who on August 23 arrested the jetty manager, Mr. Tagar.

“It is a big surprise that in spite of our petitions, the officers of the Joint Task Force, Operation Delta Safe, took the said vessel out of the jetty yesterday and set it ablaze today when no contact has been made with the owners of the vessel, (Soljas Limited) with no proper/ thorough investigation carried out in respect thereof,” the said.

Also speaking, the Managing Director of Soljas Limited, Chief Jasper Ako, denied that the vessel, which is an aluminum crew boat valued at $6 million, had a storage capacity of 350, 000.