The Chief of Navy Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla risks a dishonourable discharge and a jail term and he’s likely to be deprived of benefits if found guilty of allegations estimated at over $170m bribe among others levelled against him.
The Navy chief has been accused of offering the protection of the Nigerian Navy to oil thieves and obscuring justice since his appointment by the President on June 19, 2023.
Ogalla was also alleged to have released many oil tankers impounded for transporting stolen crude oil off Nigerian shores and dispatching gunboats of personnel for the loading of stolen crude on at least four vessels.
Although, the Nigerian Navy has described the allegations of its Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla’s involvement in bunkering schemes and contract splitting fraud as blackmail against his person and office.
The development had made the Ministry of Defence to announce a “comprehensive investigation into the matter” describing the allegation as “serious”.
The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle had pledged to uphold the “highest standards of integrity and accountability within the Nigerian Armed Forces” during the investigation.
Speaking further on the matter, a source in the presidency who pleaded anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter said that the allegations against Ogalla are a breach of the Code of Conduct Act, the Public Service Act that frowns at public officers receiving gratification of any kind to favour an action.
The source said, “All allegations must be well validated with evidence of circumstance of the proxy companies involved like in the case of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu where evidence accompanied allegations.
“If he has been accused, who bribed him? Who are these oil bunkers? Their names need to be mentioned because bunkering is a crime. In fact, in the Idiagbon administration, bunkering was punishable by death because it was a treasonable act.
“This means, if the allegations are factual, he automatically becomes an accomplice to bunkering; he was collecting money to obscure justice and such an allegation is quite weighty. They are very serious issues, and the military is not quite forgiving of them.
“The consequences are that he will lose his rank, he would be court-martialed if he is found guilty, he would be jailed, he will be deprived of every official status and benefits. He would not be addressed as a retired officer, but rather as a dismissed officer, or dishonourably discharged officer.
“Mind you, lately, service chiefs have come under attack, for ethnic and political reasons, if you recall the accidental killing in Kaduna. Some groups gathered together and called for the removal of the Army chief for only one reason, simply because he was a Yoruba man.
“Ogalla is from the southeast and the most senior ranking officer from the geopolitical zone. There are a lot of undercurrents going on and then he has been at loggerheads with the contracting company that was contacted by the NNPC, the Tantita Security outfit.
“This is because it has even been alleged that the navy guys are also gaining from the bunkering and have given no support to Tantita. It was expected that the Navy chief would have asked the navy to work hand in hand with Tantita, and I do not think that has happened.”
The rebuttal, contained in a statement and signed by the Navy’s Director of Information, Rear Admiral, Adedotun Ayo-Vaughan was made available on Saturday as "baseless and blackmail."
The Navy described the allegations as “untenable, baseless and untrue”, stating that there are clear procedural requirements in the arrest, detention and release of any vessel or persons found culpable in the maritime environment.
“It is until these processes are duly concluded that such vessels are released to appropriate prosecuting agencies for further actions.
“Indeed, all arrested vessels mentioned in the publication that were involved in crude oil theft and illegal oil bunkering are being investigated and none of such vessels has been released as alleged,” the statement revealed.
According to the Navy, all awards alleged to have been awarded by the CNS in split contracts were false, given that “the CNS does not award or oversee oil bunkering contracts”.
The statement, however, revealed that awards of such is the sole prerogative of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) as contracts awarded by the Navy follow due process in line with the laws of the Federation.
Given the rationale for the development, the Navy said, “The Service is aware of the coordinated frantic efforts to blackmail the office and person of the CNS by some disgruntled elements who are feeling the heat of the Nigerian Navy’s renewed vigour to fight crude oil theft and illegalities in the maritime domain as well as those who have in one way of the order shortchanged the Navy before now.
“Specifically, the continuous rejuvenated operations towards curbing oil theft has given the oil thieves sleepless nights hence the decision to engage in the malicious publications.
“It would be recalled that the Nigerian Navy recently launched OPERATION DELTA SANITY which provided for a holistic, more robust roadmap towards the reinvigorated stance of the NN towards the fight against crude oil theft and other forms of illegalities in the Nation’s maritime environment.
“Indeed, the NN is aware of these antics as it is expected considering the current resolve of the NN to engage oil thieves head on.
“The cartel hitherto believed no individual could confront its ranks. Fortunately, the recent achievements of the NN in this regard have put them on their heels hence the resort to cheap blackmail through immoral and compromised online media publishers.”
The Navy further buttressed her role in defending the nation’s maritime domain, which she said is an offshoot of the constitutional provisions, duly guided by extant laws and regulations including the arrest of vessels contravening any of the maritime laws and SPOMO Act 2019.
The Nigerian Navy enjoined members of the public to disregard “the malicious” claims while pledging to continue to ensure legitimate businesses in the maritime domain thrive seamlessly.
“These distractions will in no way retract the NN’s resolve to confront these criminals who must be brought to justice for Nigeria’s economy to rebound.
“The security and economy of the Nation is greater than any group of persons that think they must continue to drain the country,” the Navy said.
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