The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has explained why the military resorts to burning vessels used for illegal oil bunkering in the South-South region.
Speaking on Thursday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Musa said the decision was prompted by the failure of the legal system to prosecute such cases effectively.
“It has to do with the legal system, sometimes legal intercepts. You take it to court, it’s knocked out, [for] one reason or the other. Again, this brings us to the legal system. We have to also review our legal [system] because of some of the punishments and prosecutions,” he said.
“Maybe [we should] have special courts that will treat cases as quickly as they are, that is very important. I think we need to review the punishment for offenses also.”
He continued: “I will give you an example in the South-South. We arrest a vessel. How much is it? They give them peanuts and the vessel is back. That’s why we started burning the vessel. 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. It takes a longer time to process.”
He further argued that weak legal outcomes discourage troops from risking their lives to make arrests.
“You go in, risk all your life, make an arrest; for one reason or the other, technical issues, the item is released tomorrow.
“You think that soldier is ready to sacrifice himself to go and make arrests again? It becomes a problem. In the Middle East, terrorism cases are serious cases. If your name gets in there, even your family member, nobody will come.”
Oil theft: Weak legal system forces military to burn seized vessels – CDS Musa
