Navy in Niger Delta
Navy in Niger Delta
Naval Couple in Custody over Alleged Sea Piracy,
National Security
It was not on allegation bordering on sexual impropriety that the
duo of Group Captain Dada Labinjo and Lt. Commander Sherifat Ibe
Lambert (also known as Mrs. Bola Labinjo) were arrested last
September, but for engaging in alleged ‘Sea Piracy’ and other
illegal activities that may threaten national security, PRNigeria
has gathered.
The two naval officers, alongside 13 other persons who were
reported to have been in the custody of Nigerian Navy (NN) since
their arrest, are presently at a facility of a military
intelligence service in the country.
A credible security source who spoke in confidence told
PRNigeria said that both Captain Dada Labinjo and Lt. Commander
Sherifat Lambert, are in the custody of the intelligence service
because their case has connection with the breach of national
security and fraudulent business activities.
The officer said: “The couple and others arrested with them were
involved in maritime crimes when they chartered a vessel MT Adeline
Jumbo and later hijacked another tanker vessel MT Pantelena off the
coast of Gabon in Central Africa — an area notorious for piracy.
The tanker vessel was hijacked and held by the pirates for 9 days
before the crew were released. The crew included 17 Georgian and 2
Russian citizens. There were some 7000 tons of fuel on board at the
time of hijack. the Georgian government issued a security alert
about its citizens on board.
“The Nigerian security and intelligence services were alerted,
and the Nigerian Navy was able to intercept and arrest the
suspects.
“After the initial investigation, the suspects were handed over
to the intelligence service because of the gravity of the offence
with border on national security and international law.
“Meanwhile, the couple had had frosty relationship with the
Nigerian Navy before the last incident. They have been reabsorbed
into the Nigerian Navy after winning their legal cases in the court
after their dismissal. Unfortunately, they deliberately refuse to
resume in office. They know that desertion is a very serious
offence in the military.”
The latest findings run contrary to the claim by Centre Against
Impunity (CAI) that the suspects were in the custody of the
Nigerian Navy.
CAI stated that the suspects, after their arrest, approached the
Federal High Court for an Order enforcing their fundamental rights
which was granted and the Federal High Court directed the Navy to
release the detainees. But the Navy had refused to comply with the
Order, arguing that the detainees had been denied access to their
solicitors, doctors and family members.
CAI, in the release signed by one Comrade Shina Loremikan, added
that Navy instead of complying with a valid court judgement that
ordered their release, sometimes in December last year,
surreptitiously removed all the suspects to an unknown
location.
Meanwhile, Navy’s Director of Information, Commodore Suleiman
Dahun was not available to respond to enquiry on the development.
It would be recalled that the Navy had arrested 15 Nigerians in
September 2018, including the naval couple for an undisclosed
offence before other security and intelligence services took over
the case.
By PRNigeria