The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has explained in detail why the Nigerian Military burns seized oil products.
Musa while speaking in an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today said crude oil and other petroleum products are usually destroyed due to the nation’s weak legal systems.
He said that with the increase in theft in the South South region, offenders are bribing their way out of situations when products are seized.
He also said that litigation surrounding oil bunkering always collapses when it gets to the courts on the basis of technicalities.
According to him, when oil bunkering cases are taken to the courts, they are knocked out for one reason or the other.
He further called for special courts that could handle these cases and a review of punishment for such offences.
“I will give you an example in the south-south. We arrest a vessel. How much is it? They (offenders) give them peanuts and the vessel is back,” the CDS said.
“That’s why we started burning the vessel, but then, again, people started talking about the environment.
“So you now 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. It takes a longer time to process,” Musa said.