Saturday 11 January 2014

EXCLUSIVE; Navy Arrests, Hands Over 12 Suspects to FG for Poaching


The Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Andoni, under the command of NNS BEECROFT, Apapa, Lagos, has handed over the arrested 12-man crew of fishing trawler FT Hajiya Binta to the Federal Department of Fisheries for illegal poaching fishes.

The suspects who were arrested by Andoni under the command of Captain Ifeanyi Okpala, during a routine patrol of the Lagos fairway buoy, were handed over to the department of fisheries for further investigation and prosecution.


Preliminary investigations carried out by the Commander, NNS BEECROFT, Commodore Chris Ezekobe, revealed that the fishing trawler was carrying out illegal fishing as against catching shrimp which it was licensed for.

Ezekobe who was represented by the Base Operations Officer (BOO), Commander Sabo Lengaya and the the Base Information Officer (BINFO), Lieutenant Patricia Onyekwere, said the trawler had official license for inshore shrimping only and not fishing as it was caught doing.

He said, "During interrogation, the crew claimed to have few bags of fishes asides from the shrimps and we had to carry out an on-the-spot search on the trawler to ascertain their claims.

"However, when naval personnel boarded the vessel, it was discovered that the trawler was actually carrying 180 bags of fish and 123 bags of shrimps and this lead to their arrest."

Also speaking, Captain Okpala said his ship was on routine patrol when they noticed suspicious movement of the trawler and approached her for clarification.

He said, " During interrogation, it was discovered that the trawler was poaching instead of shrimping which she was licensed to do.

"Also, the captain of the trawler later claimed he was acting in the directive of his company, the Atlantic Shrimpers Ltd."

Whilst receiving the arrested vessel and the crew, Mr. Popoola Babatunde Akinola of the FDF said the suspects would face the full wrath of the law after investigations.

He also pledged to keep the navy abreast on steps taken in  the course of investigations as well as the total outcome of the investigation.

Also, the Assistant Director Fisheries resources monitoring Control and surveillance Department of Fisheries,  Mrs. Bola Aduke Kupolati, while commending the navy, called for more collaboration to nip poaching in the bud.



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