The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, has advocated for the creation of a dedicated special court to handle maritime-related offences, saying it would fast-track justice and strengthen efforts against crude oil theft and other illegal activities within Nigeria’s maritime environment.
In a chat with journalists, Abbas explained that the proposed court would exclusively prosecute cases involving crude oil theft and other maritime crimes, reducing the delays often experienced in the regular judicial system.
He further noted that while security agencies frequently arrest suspects at illegal refining sites, those individuals are usually low-level operators. According to him, the key masterminds behind crude oil theft networks often remain unidentified and beyond the reach of law enforcement agencies.
